


House of Ainana

by theoddkid



Series: IDOLiSH7 x House of Anubis [1]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boarding School, House of Anubis AU, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn, Some other characters appear as well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 180,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21987517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoddkid/pseuds/theoddkid
Summary: Nanase Riku is about to transfer to a fancy boarding school, but upon his arrival strange things start happening, including the mysterious disappearance of another student, a hidden treasure and a house full of evil. A crossover between IDOLiSH7 and the nikelodeon TV show House of Anubis (Season 1 only).
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku
Series: IDOLiSH7 x House of Anubis [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766200
Comments: 379
Kudos: 273





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am once more back with a new multi-chapter ioriku fanfic! Last time it was a crossover with Ghost Hunt, but now it's another show that I recently decided to re-watch! House of Anubis! When I grew up, we basically only had nikelodeon, so it was my life as a kid, and this specific show really made an impact on me. It was my favourite for a long time, and I followed it religiously. That being said, the one I grew up with was the one that was aired in Sweden, which is actually the dutch version, and this fanfic is based on the english version, which I watched much later. (But sadly the dutch version is really difficult to come by so I can't rewatch it right now :( ) Still, I think it's a really good show with an interesting mystery! I am also a history nerd who loves ancient egypt, so...  
> But anyways, the setting for the story will be that of House of Anubis, but the characters used will be from IDOLiSH7. It will also have ioriku! (Because I love them and apparently can't write a fanfic without them) I might include some other pairings in the future, but I haven't decided yet. Also, you don't need to be familiar with House of Anubis in order to read this, I just wanted to make that clear!  
> This is just the prologue, I'll post the first proper chapter sometime tomorrow and then I'll try my best to post an update every Wednesday and Saturday! I hope all of you will like this story and that you're excited for future chapters! I'd also like to say that I don't own IDOLiSH7 or House of ANubis, all credit goes to the original creators of each franchise! With that said, please enjoy this new story of mine! If you have any questions or want to talk, please hit me up on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Kujou Tenn was a lot of things. He was talented, smart, ambitious and fairly popular, among other things. But right now, he was mostly done. “The new term started YESTERDAY, how have you already gotten into a disagreement with your dad?” He irritably asked Yaotome Gaku, whom Tenn begrudgingly called his friend.

“It’s not my fault he’s being a twat.” Gaku replied with a shrug, his eyes staying glued to his phone all the while. “He asked you about your break…” Tenn said, a deadpan expression on his face. “He asked about it in a condescending way. He didn’t care if I had a good time, he just wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything to embarrass him.” Gaku said, still not meeting Tenn’s eyes. 

“Still, your reaction was childish.” Tenn stated. This, however, got a reaction out of Gaku. “What was that, you brat?” He asked while glaring at the younger boy. Tenn smirked. “I was just pointing out how-” He started but was soon interrupted by Tsunashi Ryuunosuke. “Come on guys, don’t start fighting again! You’ll cause another scene!” He lectured, a worried expression donning his features. 

Tenn crossed his arms and looked away, a pout on his lips, and then reluctantly took a step back. Ryuu relaxed visibly and let out a sigh at his friends’ antics. “Gaku seems to love making scenes.” Tenn then stated, making Ryuu tense again and Gaku clenching his fists in annoyance. 

“Now listen here Tenn, you little shit, if you mind my business so much, why don’t you just leave? No one is making you stay here with us in the third years’ part of the school, so why don’t you go back to the rest of your class already?” Gaku asked, sounding annoyed. Tenn simply rolled his eyes at Gaku, not making a single sign that he had any intention to leave until he had to. 

Ryuu sighed again and shook his head. “Why do you guys always have to be fighting?” He asked, mostly to himself. “Because he is annoying and easily irritable.” Tenn answered. “Because he’s so much meaner than his appearance lets on.” Gaku responded. Ryuu rolled his eyes. 

“Anyways, I get that you got annoyed with your dad, but Tenn is sort of right. You didn’t need to cause such a scene, Gaku.” Ryuu said. “HA!” Tenn exclaimed proudly, glad to have Ryuu, the peacemaker, on his side for once. It practically meant he had won, and there was nothing Gaku could do about it. Ryuu just had that much power. 

Gaku scoffed and sat back down, resuming whatever he had been doing on his phone earlier, though with a slightly more annoyed expression. A few minutes passed before the bells rang, letting them know that classes were about to start. 

Tenn grabbed his bag from the floor and stood up. “Well, I better be off. See you guys later!” He said. “Good riddance!” Gaku exclaimed, still annoyed from before. Tenn simply responded by raising his middle finger at Gaku as he kept walking away. 

Getting back to the first years’ part of the school only took a minute, even though they were divided by year, it was still only one building, so it only took so long to move between the different parts. Tenn entered the classroom and took a seat before getting his books out. They had english now, which Tenn found to not be too difficult. And their english teacher, Anesagi Kaoru, was one of the best teachers they had in his opinion. 

About 20 minutes in, the door to the classroom opened up and in came Yaotome Sousuke, the school’s headmaster. “I’m sorry to interrupt your lesson, Anesagi, but I’d like to borrow Kujou Tenn for a minute.” He explained. 

Tenn perked up as he heard his name being mentioned. _‘Ugh, it’s probably about what happened earlier with Gaku. I’ll have to make sure to give him a piece of my mind again later.’_ Tenn thought to himself as he sighed, grabbed his stuff and stood up so that he could follow their headmaster. 

When they got to his office, Yaotome Sousuke sat down behind his desk and gestured for Tenn to take a seat opposite of him. Tenn did so. “Kujou-kun, I apologize for the sudden interruption, but we just got a call from your father, Kujou Takamasa. It seems he’s come to the school to pick you up.” The headmaster explained. 

Tenn frowned. “Why would he come pick me up?” He asked. Yaotome Sousuke simply shrugged. “I’m not sure about the details, but he simply said he’s removing you from the school for the time being. I know you just got back from your break and that the second term just started, but if your father wishes to have you removed and transferred, then I have no say in it.” He explained. 

Tenn was extremely confused. His father was the one who had been adamant that he would go to this school in the first place, both for junior and senior high. Why would he suddenly decide to change his mind? Tenn figured that the only way he was getting any answers was if he went out to ask his father himself. 

Tenn nodded, grabbed his bag and then left the headmaster’s office. Once he got outside, he saw that Kujou Takamasa was indeed standing outside the school with his car. Tenn walked over to him. “What’s the meaning of this? If you wanted me to transfer, couldn’t you at least have told me so before I came back for the second term?” Tenn asked annoyed. 

Takamasa said nothing, he simply opened the door to the passenger seat and gestured for Tenn to get in. Tenn complied and entered the car. It was first after he had started the car that Takamasa decided to say something. “I’m sorry, there were some sudden change in plans. Also, you’re not transferring to a different school, you’re coming home with me.” He explained. 

Tenn frowned, and then he got even more confused as he saw them leave the school grounds. “Hang on, you forgot to go back to the house! I still have all my stuff there, even my phone’s left in my room!” Tenn said. Takamasa simply shook his head. “No time for that, I’ll mail Tsukumo to send your stuff over as soon as he can.” Was all he responded with. 

Tenn still had no idea what was going on, he was extremely confused, and also quiet disappointed. He didn’t want to leave his school, for all the complaining he did, he still really enjoyed being there and hanging out with his friends. He looked back at the school one last time. For some reason, he had a really bad feeling about what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was that! As you've noticed, this chapter we followed Tenn. Now, I'll mostly write this story from Riku's POV, but it will switch to other characters from time to time, mostly Iori's. I hope you liked this, and as I said, I'll be back tomorrow with the first proper chapter! Kudos and comments are always appreciated! <3<3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku arrives at Yaotome Academy, the prestigious boarding school he recieved a scholarship for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's time for the first proper chapter! Before we start however, I'd just like to make a few things clear. For story-purposes I've changed some of the characters' ages, so they'll be as following: Riku, Tenn, Iori, Tamaki and Haruka are first years in high school, Nagi, Sougo, Touma and Minami are second years while Yamato, Mitsuki, Ryuunosuke, Gaku, Torao, Yuki and Momo are third years. Though the guys in ZOOL and Re;vale won't be in this story very much, as they don't live at Anubis House. Also, Tsumugi is in her mid-twneties in this story, so she's older than the boys. Just so you don't get confused! ^^  
> With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And if you have any questions or want to talk to me about anything, you can send me a message on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

As he stepped out of the train and onto the platform, Riku took a deep breath and looked around at his surroundings. He smiled to himself at how peaceful everything seemed. He noted how much nicer and fresher the air felt as it entered his lungs compared to the city air of Tokyo. It had been too long since he last left the city, and right now he was so happy he did.

Riku was the only person who had exited the train at that particular stop, and looking around, he realized that there was not a single other person in sight. Riku picked up his bags and started walking off the platform, hopefully he’d be able to find a taxi, but the lack of people around told him that he might have to give them a call in order for them to come to where he was. 

As he walked around to the front of the station, he was lucky enough to see a taxi at the end of the parking lot. Someone exited the car and grabbed a bag, suggesting that the taxi had just dropped them off here. 

Riku hurried over to where the car stood parked and knocked on the door to the driver’s seat, making the man behind the wheel open the door and look at him questioningly. “Uhm… Excuse me, but do you have an appointment right now? Or do you think you could give me a ride?” Riku asked. 

The driver perked up and smiled politely as he realized Riku was a possible customer. “I’ll take you! Where do you need to go, sir?” He asked happily. Riku smiled. “I need to go to… Yaotome Academy? The boarding school that's around here.” He explained. 

The driver nodded and got out of the car. “That’s perfect. Do you want me to put your bags in the trunk?” He asked. Riku nodded. “Yes, please. Thank you.” He answered as he gave his two big bags to the driver while keeping the smaller backpack to himself. Once he’d closed the trunk, the driver opened the door to the backseat of the car and gestured for Riku to get in, which he did while thanking the driver. Then they were off. 

Riku watched the scenery pass outside of the window. According to the GPS on his phone, they’d reach the school in about 15 minutes. “That’s a lot of packing for someone coming back for the second term.” The driver soon said out of nowhere. Riku had been caught a bit off guard and didn’t really know what to reply. “Uhm… I’m sorry, what?” 

The driver chuckled and met Riku’s confused gaze in the rearview mirror for a second before turning back to the road. “I was just saying, most people coming back for their second term only have one bag. Must leave all their stuff at the school over the break.” He said, the paused for a second before continuing. “Though, now that I think about it, didn’t the second term start yesterday? You late or something?” 

Riku smiled awkwardly. “Something like that, but more like an entire term late… It’s my first time coming to this school.” He explained. The driver hummed. “I see, that would explain all the bags. Still, it’s pretty rare for THE Yaotome Academy to accept transfer students, you some sort of genius or something?” He then asked. 

Riku felt a bit self-conscious, he knew the guy didn’t mean anything by it, he was just making conversation. “Not really… But I did get in on a scholarship. I was actually supposed to start at the beginning of the year, but some of the paperwork got mixed up and I didn’t learn about the scholarship until a few weeks ago because of those mistakes. And then there were problems with my old school as well, and it really just created a big mess, but now I’m here!” He explained. 

“Oh, I see.” The driver said. “You excited then? To start a new school?” He later asked. Riku nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been wanting to go to Yaotome Academy for a while now, but we didn’t have enough money for me to enroll, so last year I worked really hard to get that scholarship. When we never heard back from them, I just assumed I didn’t get it, so when we learned about the mistake, I was more excited than annoyed, really.” 

“I can see why you’d want to go there. It’s pretty strict, but it is also one of the best high schools in the country.” The driver said. Riku nodded. “Right. I’m a bit worried though. I’ve never really been away from my parents before… And everyone already had an entire term to get to know each other! Maybe they’ll just find me coming there bothersome…” Riku looked out the window with a slightly worried expression as he said this. 

“I’m sure you’ll do fine! I take quite a lot of these kids back and forth between the school and the station whenever they leave or return, and a lot of them seem very nice. I’m sure you’ll have a good time there.” The driver tried to reassure him, but it only made Riku feel a little bit better. The words from a near stranger were not that convincing after all. 

But well, he was right that Yaotome Academy was one of the best schools in all of Japan, and that was one of the reasons why Riku had been so excited to go there. Though, if he was being totally honest, it wasn’t the biggest reason. Last year, Riku had learned that his long-lost twin brother was attending the middle school division of Yaotome Academy. And if you went to middle school at Yaotome Academy, it was almost certain you would continue your education in their high school division. 

Riku sighed. Thinking about his older brother always made his heart ache with loss, even though it had been five years since he left the family already, not a single day passed when Riku didn’t miss him. Riku had put the last hope he had in a reunion with his precious brother on this school, he had no idea if he even wanted to see Riku again, but Riku wasn’t willing to give up on him just yet. 

That was when something caught Riku’s eyes, in the distance he could see tall, maroon buildings surrounded by a fence. Riku perked up as he realized that what he saw was Yaotome Academy, the school he’d spend his next three years attending. They drove through the gates and stopped at the parking lot in front of the entrance to the school building. 

Riku exited the car, and as the driver went to grab Riku’s bags from the trunk, Riku looked around the school grounds. In front of him was the biggest building on the campus, meaning it was most likely the main school building. There was what Riku assumed to be the gym and field to the left, and to the right there was a road that seemed to lead to various smaller buildings. These Riku assumed were the boarding houses, where the students lived for the duration of the school year. 

There were a few students outside, though Riku assumed most of them where in class right now, it was still only the early afternoon after all. He looked at the people wearing the school’s uniform, a pair of black pants (or a skirt in the girls’ case), black dress shoes, a white button-up, a grey vest or sweater, a bright red and yellow striped tie and a dark red blazer. Soon Riku would also be wearing that uniform. 

“Here you go.” Riku turned back around as he heard the driver speak to him. He smiled and took his bags from the man. “Thank you so much.” Riku said before he paid the man for driving him from the station to the school. The driver got back into the car, but before he left, he turned to Riku again and smiled. “Well, good luck at your new school! Have fun!” He said as he waved and drove off. 

Riku watched the taxi drive off, and it was only once he could no longer see the car that he turned back around to face the school, and his life for the next three years. When he did, however, he was faced with a middle-aged man with blond hair and kind eyes wearing a brown suit. The man smiled at him. “Judging from your baggage, I’m guessing you are a new student here at Yaotome Academy. And we’ve only got one coming in for the new term. You must be Nanase Riku-kun?” He said. 

Riku smiled and nodded before he put his bags down in order to reach out a hand for the older man to shake. “Yes, I’m Nanase Riku. It’s nice to meat you, Mister…?” The man chuckled and shook Riku’s hand enthusiastically. “My name is Takanashi Otoharu, I teach history here at this school.” He said. Riku nodded. 

“Well, Nanase-kun, I bet you have a lot of questions and I’m aware this place can be a bit overwhelming if it’s your first time coming here, but hopefully we’ll be able to provide you with whatever you need.” Otoharu said calmly. Riku smiled up at his new teacher. “Thank you, I’m glad to finally be here! I’m sorry about all the misunderstandings and trouble that arouse regarding my enrollment.” Riku then said while giving the teacher a slight bow. 

Otoharu placed a hand on Riku’s shoulder, encouraging the younger boy to look up at him again. “We’re the ones who should apologize! There was nothing you could have done, considering you didn’t even receive the letter about your scholarship until a few weeks ago. We’re just glad you were able to make it.” He said, making Riku feel much more at ease. He had been quite worried about how they’d react to him being an entire term late after all. 

“Now then,” Otoharu started. “The headmaster is currently in a meeting, so you’ll have to wait for a while until you can go and see him. I’ve arranged a meeting for you and him in about two hours, so that he can tell you all that you need to know about this school, your education and answer any questions you may have about your time here.” He then explained. 

Riku nodded. “Okay, thank you, Sir. But what should I do for two hours while I wait? Can I go explore or should I just stay here?” Riku asked, feeling a bit self-conscious. Otoharu smiled kindly. “Well, you should probably use this time to start settling in. Do you know which of the boarding houses you will be staying at?” He asked. 

“Ah, wait a second!” Riku exclaimed as he picked up his backpack and started digging through one of the outer compartments, looking for the note that had all the important information on it. He soon managed to find it, and so he took a look at what it said. “I believe I’m supposed to stay at… The House of Anubis?” He then responded. 

Otoharu perked up at that. “Oh, that’s nice! My daughter actually works as a housemother there, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! It’s one of the finer boarding houses, if I do say so myself, and that’s not just because of my daughter. It has quite a lot of interesting history, and it’s a beautiful house! If anything, I suppose the caretaker is a bit… Odd? He’s not a bad person though.” The teacher explained with a smile. 

Riku nodded and smiled awkwardly in return. “That sounds great. Do you think you could tell me where to go? I’m not sure I’ll find my way there otherwise…” Riku said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. 

Otoharu nodded and pointed down the road to the right of the school. “Of course. If you follow that road, you’ll soon reach a stone wall with an opening, on the other side of that opening there’s a split, so take the left turn there and then follow that road until you reach a sign that points to a nearby retirement home. When you reach the sign, walk in the opposite direction of it until you reach a street with four old-looking brick villas. Anubis’ House is the fourth villa, the one farthest away.” He explained. 

Riku smiled brightly up at his new teacher. “Thank you so much! I’ll be going then! And then I’ll be back here in two hours for my meeting with the headmaster?” He said. Otoharu nodded. “That’s right. Good luck!” He said as he motioned for Riku to get going. Riku gave the older man one last respectful nod before he grabbed his bags and started walking down the path to the place he’d be living at for the next three years. 

As he walked down the path, Riku took a moment to properly take in his surroundings. Yaotome Academy lay in the outskirts of a rather small town, and the school was the only thing that town really had going for it. Other than the school and residential houses, there were a few stores, a church, a tiny clinic, a police station and the retirement home. 

Once Riku reached the sign pointing to the retirement home in question, he spared a moment to look down the road to try and see the place. It was just outside of the school grounds, and if it hadn’t been for the fence, Riku would have thought that the building was actually a part of the school itself. 

After a short while, Riku turned around and started walking down the road to the house again. Just a minute later he spotted the four houses that Otoharu had undoubtedly been talking about. Riku soon reached the last one and stopped in front of it. Before him was a big, two-story tall brick house. The house looked like it had been shipped over straight from England, it really did not look like your typical Japanese house. Also, it was a lot bigger than Riku had been expecting. 

“Wow…” Riku said under his breath as he slowly started walking up the front door. He could not believe this was where he would be staying. As he reached the door, Riku started looking around for a doorbell, but found none. When that didn’t work, he figured he should probably knock. However, when he reached up to do so, the door slowly slid open on its own, creaking loudly as it did. 

Riku swallowed, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. “Okay, that’s a bit creepy.” He whispered to no one in particular before he pushed the door open the rest of the way and started making his way inside. The inside of the house was not any less impressive than the outside, both the floors and the walls were decorated, there was a staircase leading up to the second floor and a beautifully crafted grandfather clock was stood against one of the walls. But what stood out the most was perhaps the Egyptian sarcophagus that also stood along that same wall. 

Riku was awed at the place, it was so unlike anywhere he’d ever been before. The magic of the moment was broken, however, by someone clearing their throat behind him. Riku quickly spun around, almost making himself dizzy in the process as he turned too fast since he got startled by the sudden sound. 

Behind him, at the bottom of the stairs, stood a man. The man looked to be in his thirties, he was of normal height, very pale, had slicked back, dark purple hair and thin yellow eyes. Moreover, the unknown man did not look happy at all, which sort of unnerved Riku. 

“I see you’ve let yourself in. You too good for knocking?” The man asked. Riku gulped and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Uhm, I’m really sorry, but the door was open, so I figured-” He started explaining but was interrupted by the intimidating man. “You figured you could just walk in. I swear, teenagers these days know nothing of manners.” He said, though the second part was barely above a whisper. 

Riku looked down on the floor and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, he was feeling quite uncomfortable in the presence of the other man and didn’t know what to say next. The man seemed to have had enough of the silence, for he sighed and then spoke again. “So, who are you and what business do you have here?” He asked. 

Riku perked up, tried his best to smile politely and held out his hand for the other to shake. “Right, sorry. My name is Nanase Riku. I’m supposed to live here.” Riku introduced himself but was met with nothing but a disapproving look. “You are late. An entire term late.” The man said, once again making Riku feel put on the spot. 

Riku decided that he should probably try to explain his situation. “I know, but there was a mistake with the paperwork, so I didn’t even find out about the scholarship until a few weeks ago, and then we ran into some trouble with my enrollment to my previous school as well… In the end it was easiest for me to just start at the beginning of the second term.” Riku explained. 

The man sighed. “Oh, spare me your explanations. I could care less why you’re late, but know that you’re here, there are a few things you need to know.” He said, still glaring slightly at Riku, who could do nothing but nod in reply. 

“My name is Tsukumo Ryou and I am the caretaker of Anubis’ House, which means that I am practically the house’s owner. During your stay here, there are a few rules you, as well as the rest of the students has to follow.” He said. Riku nodded, the man, Tsukumo, seemed rather strict. But Otoharu had said that this was one of the better houses, Riku would just have to trust that it wasn’t so bad as Tsukumo made it out to be. 

“First,” Tsukumo started. “All students must report to me if they intend to leave the schoolgrounds. It doesn’t matter if you only leave for an hour or for an entire weekend, you always have to report to me if you leave. Second, all students must be in their rooms and be completely silent after 10 o’clock in the evening until the next morning. This applies to every night, even if you do not have school the next day. Third, if you-” Before he could continue, Tsukumo was interrupted by a loud and delighted gasp from the end of the hallway. 

“Oh my! You must be the new boy!” Riku turned around at the sound of the voice and was met with a young girl. She was most likely in her twenties, was relatively short, had big red eyes, blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and a very kind-looking smile. This must be the daughter Otoharu had mentioned. Riku liked her already, she was a lot more comfortable to be around than Tsukumo. 

Riku smiled and held out his hand. “Yes! My name is Nanase Riku, nice to meet you!” He said cheerfully. The woman shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure! My name is Takanashi Tsumugi and I am the housemother here at Anubis House. If you ever need help with anything, just let me know.” She said. Riku nodded in appreciation. 

Tsukumo clicked his tongue at the exchange. “You just have to keep the boys alive, Tsumugi. Don’t spoil them.” He said. Tsumugi gave Tsukumo an awkward smile at that. “Right.” She answered before turning back to Riku. “Don’t mind him, he might be grumpy and a bit strict, but it’s really not as bad as he makes it out to be. You’ll see, I’m sure you’ll like it here.” She said with a smile. 

Riku smiled back. “Thank you.” He said earnestly before watching Tsumugi walk back down the hallway from where she’d come. Then, Tsukumo once more cleared his throat, thus gaining Riku’s attention again. “Well, now that she’s been introduced, let’s talk about the house. It was built in 1890 and the name ‘Anubis’ comes from Egyptian mythology, it is the name of the ancient Egyptians’ God of death.” He started. 

In Riku’s opinion, it was a bit creepy that the house was named after a god of death, but he supposed it also made it interesting. The sarcophagus in the entrance made a lot more sense all of a sudden. Before he could think too much about the name, Tsukumo continued. “The name was given to the house by a man named Watanabe Ritsu, he and his wife were previous owners of the house, and their daughter was the last owner before the house was donated to the school.” 

This went on for a while, Tsukumo kept talking about the history of the house, as well as told Riku about the various rules he had to follow as he gave him a tour of the house. He was shown the living and dining room, as well as the kitchen and the laundry, then he was shown the first-floor bathroom and the two bedrooms on the ground floor as well. 

Then Riku was taken up to the second floor, was briefly shown Tsukumo’s office, after which he was told that he may only enter that room if he had business with Tsukumo. Something that caught his eye was that Tsukumo seemed to have an interest in taxidermy, there were tons of stuffed and mounted animals all over the room, which honestly unnerved Riku a lot. The one that stood out the most was the big black raven perched right in the middle of the desk. Tsukumo called it his pride and joy, said that he’d had it as long as he could remember, and that it was named Corbierre. 

Finally, they reached a hallway on the second floor with four different doors along the walls. Tsukumo pointed to the first and told Riku that was the second-floor bathroom, which was also the one Riku would have to share with some of the other students. Then he stopped in front of one of the other doors. “And this will be your bedroom.” He said as he pointed to the door they were stood in front of. 

Riku nodded, but his eyes had been glued to a different door, one that was at the very end of the hallway. It was the only door he had not been told to where it went. “Excuse me, but what’s behind that door? The one at the end of the hall.” He asked Tsukumo, who proceeded to glare at Riku, making the young boy shiver in his boots. 

“That is the door to the attic, entrance to that and the cellar are strictly forbidden for all students and the doors are kept locked at all times.” Tsukumo said sternly. Riku gulped and nodded. “Understood.” He said. Tsukumo said nothing, and instead opened the door to the room he had told Riku was his. “I shall leave you to unpack then.” He said before he left Riku all alone in the hallway. 

Riku stared after Tsukumo as he left, but soon pulled himself together. He tried his best to shake off the unease the older man had left behind and picked his bags up before going into the bedroom. One side of the room was very empty, with nothing but a plain bed, a bedside table and a desk with a chair. 

The other side was much more personal, which was a given, since Riku’s roommate would have been living there for at least one term already, if not longer. The bed was made, though not very neatly, and there were quite a lot of books, figurines and pictures strewn over the desk and bedside table. On top of that, the wall was covered in different posters. There was also a big wardrobe on that side of the room, which Riku assumed he’d have to share with whoever his roommate was, since it was the only wardrobe in the room. 

Riku then lifted one of his bags onto the empty bed, opened it and started to unpack it. He wanted to get as much done as possible before he had to go meet with the headmaster in about an hour. He also figured the other residents of Anubis House would be coming around soon, as it was already time for school to be out. 

Turns out he was right about that, as only approximately ten minutes later, the door to his room flew open and Riku looked up at a quite tall man, with pale skin, silky, grey hair and sharp grey eyes. He was objectively very handsome. Despite his handsome features, however, he wore a scowl on his face that made him look more intimidating than anything. The stranger opened his mouth to speak, and out came a single question. 

“Who are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Did you like it? It may be a bit slow in the beginning as this entire chapter was basically just Riku arriving, but I hope you stay tuned! I have a lot in mind for future chapters! I'll be back on Wednesday, which is also January 1st, so I hope you all will have a nice rest of 2019 until I see you then! <3 Kudos and comments are always highly appreciated! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku meets the residents at Anubis House, but it seems something has upset one of them in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I wish you all a happy 2020 and that you were able to enjoy New Years Eve! This update is a bit earlier than I'll probably post other chapters, but I'm busy for the rest of the day so I figured I'd just do this in the morning! Anyway, as you've noticed, I'm back with a new chapter that I hope all of you will enjoy! If you have any questions or if you want to talk, please contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

“Who are you?” The person who had just entered the room asked, almost as if Riku’s very presence offended him. Riku stood up and held out a hand in greeting, trying his best to seem friendly. “Oh, hello, my name is Nanase Riku. I’ll be living here starting today.” He said. The boy frowned. “Where is Tenn?” He simply asked impatiently, apparently he had no intention of introducing himself back.

Though, at the mention of the name ‘Tenn’ Riku was a bit shocked. _‘Tenn? As in Tenn-nii? Could Tenn-nii also be living at this house?’_ He thought, now feeling more hopeful. Before Riku could ask the man about it further though, he pushed his way inside and started going through Riku’s stuff. “What are you doing?” Riku asked. 

“What am I doing?” The man asked. “I should be asking you that! This is Tenn’s room, and you’re leaving your stuff all over his bed! Where is he? And where is all of his stuff?” He demanded angrily. Riku was confused, he’d been told by Tsukumo that this was where he would be staying, but according to this man, Tenn (who may or may not be Riku’s brother) was already living there, and Riku was supposedly taking up his space. 

“I don’t know! I just arrived, I don’t know who you’re talking about! The room was empty when I got here, and Tsukumo-san said that this is where I’d be staying!” He said, hoping the other man would understand that this was just some sort of misunderstanding. It seems however, that Riku wasn’t that lucky. 

“Like I care! Move your stuff, now! This place is already taken, so move your ass somewhere else!” He said. Riku took a step back, he was unsure of what to do in the current situation. “But I was told I’d live here!” He tried again. That was when the other man looked in one of the desk drawers, eyes widening, before he pulled out something and held it up in front of Riku. It was a mobile phone. 

“Oh yeah? If Tenn’s left then why is his phone still here? Now leave! You’ve got the wrong room!” He said. Riku was just stood there, stunned by the current turn of events. When Riku wouldn’t do anything, the man sighed and walked up to the bed before grabbing all of Riku’s belongings and just throwing it out of the door. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “Hey! You can’t do that!” He exclaimed as he followed the other out into the hallway to get his things back. Everything had been dumped onto the floor unceremoniously, and Riku could feel tears starting to burn behind his eyes. This wasn’t how he had expected his first day at Yaotome Academy to be like. 

Right then, Tsukumo walked back into the hallway, an irritated expression on his face. “What is the meaning of this?” He asked angrily. For about a minute, both Riku and the other guy stared at Tsukumo in silence. It seemed as if the older man intimidated the strange boy who’d thrown out Riku’s things just as much as he intimidated Riku. 

However, the other boy soon pulled out of his stupor and glared at Tsukumo, just as he had done to Riku before. “That’s what I’d like to know! Where is Tenn? And all of his things? He leaves school early without a word, and now it’s like he’s just up and left! I demand to know what is going on!” He exclaimed. 

Tsukumo sighed. “Kujou Tenn has left, and that’s all there is to it. If you must know, his father came and picked him up earlier today, end of story.” He said. Riku looked up as Tsukumo said the full name. _‘Kujou Tenn? So it really was Tenn-nii!’_ He thought. “That doesn’t make any sense! He wouldn’t leave without telling anyone! And he even left his phone behind!” The boy said while holding out the phone so that Tsukumo could see. 

Tsukumo glared at the object before snatching it away from the strange boy’s hand and Riku could have sworn he heard Tsukumo mutter "That was careless of me." under his breath. “Hey!” The boy exclaimed. Tsukumo rolled his eyes. “He must have forgotten it in the commotion. I’ll mail it to him, so relax. As you pointed out, he left very suddenly.” He explained. 

“You were very quick to replace him.” The boy then said while glaring at Riku, who was still sat on the floor, collecting his things. “With Tenn gone, we had an empty bed. And Nanas Riku just arrived today, so why not let him use it. That’s all. And remember, just because you’re the headmaster’s son, Yaotome Gaku, that doesn’t mean you can just act up and start demanding things whenever it suits you. This is my house! Now leave.” Tsukumo said. 

Gaku, who was apparently the son of the headmaster, huffed and scowled, then glared one last time at Riku before he stomped away. “And you.” Tsukumo said harshly, making Riku flinch and look up at the older man. “Get your stuff back into your room. I don’t want anything littering the hallway.” He said. Riku gulped and nodded before picking up the last of his belongings to carry it back into his room. 

As he resumed unpacking, a lot of thoughts swirled around his head. He thought about his brother, and that he had been so close, and now it turns out he left earlier that same day? Riku had come all this way looking for him, and he’d left as soon as he got here. Had he somehow learned about Riku coming here? Was that why he left? Was everything Riku’s fault after all? Did he really hate him that much? 

Riku had to slow down and take a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he didn’t need to have an attack on top of everything else that had already happened for his first day at Yaotome Academy. If Tenn had left, what should Riku do next? He couldn’t leave, he’d just gotten to one of the best schools in Japan on a scholarship, and he couldn’t waste it just because his brother wasn’t there like he’d hoped. 

Riku sighed, for now there was nothing he could do put try and get all of his things sorted and then go meet the headmaster. If Tenn hated him, then that was that. It hurt, but there was nothing Riku could do about it if his twin avoided him to the point of transferring schools just because of Riku. He had a great chance before him, having gotten into a prestigious school and all that. He couldn’t let his feelings get in the way. 

And then there was Yaotome Gaku. From how strongly he’d reacted about Tenn, Riku assumed they’d been friends. Riku was sort of relieved that it seemed like he wasn’t going to be his roommate at least, since they hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot. He hoped the other residents in the house would be friendlier, or else he might have a difficult time fitting in. 

Riku sighed but was once again startled as the door to the room swung open suddenly. He jumped and dropped the thing he was holding, which was a pile of notebooks, on the floor. The person who had entered the room was a tall boy, with pale skin, bright blue eyes and blond hair. He was also stunningly beautiful. 

“Oh my. Who are you?” The boy asked, though he both sounded and looked surprised, he at least wasn’t angry like Gaku had been. “Uhm…” Riku started awkwardly. “I’m Nanase Riku. I just got here.” He said. “You’re my new roommate then? Yaotome-shi was going on and on about Kujou-shi having left, and that they already found someone to replace him.” The boy, Riku’s roommate, said. 

Riku felt a bit guilty, he still didn’t know if he had anything to do with Tenn leaving, but he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d done something wrong. The silence in the room was awkward, it seemed as if his roommate was expecting him to say something next, but Riku had no idea what. 

After another agonizing minute, the boy cleared his throat. “Right. Anyway, my name is Rokuya Nagi. It’s nice to meet you, let’s get along in the future, roomie!” He said, putting on a cheerful expression and reaching out a hand to Riku. Riku grabbed it and shook, still feeling a bit awkward, but he was at least happy that Nagi hadn’t gotten angry at him like Gaku had. 

It was then that the alarm on Riku’s clock went off, startling the two boys. Riku walked over to his bed and got his phone. It was time to leave for the meeting with the headmaster. He looked over at Nagi as he grabbed whatever he needed. “It was nice to meet you too, but I’m sorry, I have to leave now. I have a meeting with the headmaster.” Riku explained and excused himself, leaving before he could catch Nagi’s reaction. 

Riku sighed as he left the house behind, relieved that he hadn’t run into anyone else on his way out. Earlier he’d been mostly excited, now he was more worried than anything. The other students living in the house were probably really close already, and Riku had practically taken the place of one of their friends. Would he ever be able to find his own place with them? 

He knew it was silly, he hadn’t even met anyone other than Nagi and Gaku yet, and Nagi even seemed rather nice from the small interaction they’d had. Still, Riku couldn’t help but feel insecure and alone. It suddenly hit him that he was hours away from home, in a small town in the middle of nowhere, at a new school where he didn’t know anybody. He’d followed his brother, the one person who had meant the world to him, and now he wasn’t even there. Riku hadn’t felt this alone since the day Tenn first left him and their parents behind. 

Riku thought back to that night. His father had gotten himself into debt and the small karaoke bar he and Riku’s mother owned wasn’t giving them nearly enough income to pay it off. Then he had arrived. Kujou Takamasa. He’d come out of nowhere and offered to pay off all of their debts, to make sure they got through this tough time with extra money to spare. But he would only do it on the one condition that he got to take full custody of Tenn, their first born. 

His parents had hesitated at first, but when they saw no other way out they had reluctantly turned to his brother, asking if he’d do this for the family. What had upset Riku the most wasn’t his parents being willing to give Tenn away, it was that Tenn didn’t hesitate for a second to agree that it would be for the best. That night they had called Kujou Takamasa, who had then come to pick Tenn up. He gave their parents a check and made sure that everything would work itself out, and then he led Tenn away to his car and Riku watched the person who meant the world to him disappear out of his life. 

That night had been one of the worst nights in Riku’s life, he’d cried and struggled for breath. It had gotten so bad that his parents had to drive him to the hospital later that same night, and he’d had to stay there for a few days because he wouldn’t calm down. He’d felt alone and weak. And though the situation right now was much different, and he was in much better control, that same lonely feeling suddenly overcame him. 

He didn’t really have any more time to dwell on it though, as he soon reached the school. Riku went inside, and he was then happy that he’d set the alarm to remind him to leave a bit earlier than he needed to, because it took him a few minutes to find the headmaster’s office. He just made it in time, which relieved him. After being an entire term late, he didn’t want to be late to his first meeting with the headmaster on top of that. 

Riku took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, then he knocked on the door. “Come in.” A voice answered from the other side, so Riku opened the door, stepped inside the office, and then closed the door behind him. Now that he saw the headmaster, he could really tell that he was related to Gaku. The same pale skin, grey eyes and grey hair. 

“Ah, you must be Nanase Riku, our late scholarship student. Sit down.” The headmaster said, sounding bored. Riku flinched slightly as he mentioned him being late, even though it was technically because of the school’s mistake in the first place. Riku sat down and faced the man in front of him. “Yes, I’m Nanase Riku. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused, and I’m extremely grateful that you let me keep my scholarship despite the incidents that occurred.” Riku said politely. 

The headmaster shrugged. “You’re here now, so let’s put all of that behind us.” Riku figured he was most likely aware that it was the school’s fault, and thus he wanted Riku to forget about the mishap. Riku was glad to comply. “Anyway, my name is Yaotome Sousuke and I am the headmaster here at Yaotome Academy. We value prestige and learning, and I thus wish to see all of our students taking their studies seriously.” Yaotome Sousuke started. 

The meeting went on like this for about an hour and a half. Sousuke told Riku about the school, its history and rules, then he gave him his uniform and his schedule before ending the meeting by giving Riku a quick tour of the school. Seeing the school had made Riku feel a bit at ease, he remembered why he was supposed to be there, to learn. And even if he might have trouble getting along with the other students, he’d at least be able to distract himself with his studies. 

About two hours after he left his room, he found himself back outside of Anubis House. It was getting late and Riku could feel a pleasant smell coming from inside. He supposed it was almost time for dinner. Riku was nervous, if it was time for dinner, that meant he’d have to meet the rest of his housemates. 

Figuring he’d have to do it sooner or later, Riku collected himself and walked inside. He could hear multiple voices coming from the living room, so that’s where he went. He opened the door and slowly walked inside. The moment he entered, the room turned silent and eight pairs of eyes all simultaneously turned to Riku. 

Riku could recognize Nagi and Gaku, but the rest he had never seen before, which was to be expected. “Uhm, hi? I’m Nanase Riku, I just got here.” He said awkwardly while waving at them. The first reaction he got was from Gaku, who simple clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, followed by a taller guy with slightly tan skin, brown hair and hazel eyes hitting Gaku on the shoulder. 

“Gaku, don’t be rude!” The guy whispered before turning to Riku with a smile. “I’m sorry about him. My name is Tsunashi Ryuunosuke and I’m a third year here at Yaotome Academy. This,” Ryuu started before pointing at Gaku. “Is my friend and classmate, Yaotome Gaku.” He finished. 

“Yeah, we’ve met…” Riku responded, after which it got awkwardly silent once more. Riku assumed the others had heard about what had happened earlier that afternoon. The next person to speak up was Nagi, Riku’s roommate. “We’ve also met already, but allow me to introduce myself again. I’m Rokuya Nagi, a second year and your roommate. I’m also half-Japanese and half-Northmarean, which is a country in northern Europe.” Nagi said. Riku smiled and nodded. 

Then Riku turned to the remaining five boys who had yet to introduce themselves. The one who went next was a short boy with orange hair and eyes the same color, he was smiling brightly and energetically. “Hello! My name is Izumi Mitsuki and I’m a third year like those two!” He said and pointed to Gaku and Ryuu. 

After Mitsuki was a pale guy with purple eyes and almost white hair. Riku felt a bit relaxed upon seeing him, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe he reminded Riku a bit about Tenn? “I’m Osaka Sougo, a second year and Nagi-kun’s classmate. Welcome to Anubis House and Yaotome Academy.” He said politely. 

The next guy was tall and pale with an impassive face, blue eyes and shoulder-length blue hair that was tied into a messy ponytail at the back of his head. He held an almost empty cup of pudding in one hand and a spoon in the other. “Yotsuba Tamaki, first year.” He said, sounding a bit bored. 

After Tamaki was a man with green eyes, glasses and hair in a green-brown color. He lifted a hand in a lazy wave and smiled at Riku without moving from where he sat in an armchair, feet perched on the coffee table. “Yo, my name is Nikaido Yamato, and I’m also a third year.” He said. 

The last guy was sat in the sofa, reading a book. It seemed like it took him a minute to register that he was the only one left to introduce himself, because Mitsuki had to nudge him with an elbow after a few seconds of awkward silence. The guy, who had pale skin, grey-blue eyes and silky black hair that perfectly framed his face, looked up at Riku, and for a second the two boys just stared at each other. 

Then the boy coughed and averted his gaze before closing his book and turning back to Riku. “Izumi Iori. I’m a first year.” He said. Riku smiled and nodded, he was about to say something more, but Iori beat him to it. “You’re also a first year, right? Our teacher mentioned someone like you coming in. You’ll be in mine and Yotsuba-san’s class.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, I’m a first year like you. Thanks for letting me know.” He said. It was then that he realized that both Iori and Mitsuki shared the same surname. Were they related? Though when he looked at them, he couldn’t help but think that they didn’t look very much alike… Maybe it was just a coincidence? 

He had probably been staring without noticing, because Mitsuki soon started chuckling. “So, you noticed, huh? Iori is my younger brother, even though we don’t look alike. I take after our mother, while Iori takes after our father.” He said. Riku blushed as he realized he’d been caught staring at the two. “I see…” He said shyly, not really sure how else to respond. 

That was when Tsumugi stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. “You guys, it’s time for dinner!” She called out happily. “FINALLY!” Tamaki exclaimed as he practically jumped up from the sofa where he’d sat, before rushing over to the table. “It’s spaghetti! I love your spaghetti, Tsumugi!” He said happily, making the young woman giggle and thank him. 

One by one, the other guys all walked over to the dining table, Riku included. He sat down at one of the empty chairs, but just as he did, someone cleared his throat behind him. It was Gaku. “That’s my seat. Move.” Was all he said. Riku gulped but did as he was told. “Oh, sorry.” He said as he moved to the only other empty seat at the table. 

Before Riku could sit down however, Gaku spoke again. “That’s Tenn’s seat.” He said. Riku froze, unsure of what to do. It was the only empty seat at the table, but he didn’t want to upset anyone. “Gaku! Tenn’s not here anyway, so what does it matter if he uses that seat?” Ryuu said before turning to Riku with an apologetic smile. “Sit down, Riku-kun.” He said. 

Riku nodded and did just that. Then it was silent again as everyone started grabbing food. A few minutes in, the others started talking to each other about various different things, but Riku didn’t really feel like he should join them, it felt like he was only intruding, so he ate his food in silence. 

After a short while, Gaku slapped the table hard, making everyone look at him. “Are we really just going to ignore the fact that the guy that’s been here since middle school just went and disappeared? None of us has heard anything from him, and you don’t even seem to care!” He said. 

Ryuu patted his shoulder. “Of course I care! Tenn was one of my best friends, but you said yourself that he forgot his phone here, so how would he contact us? Tsukumo-san said he’d send it back to him, so just wait for a few days and then I’m sure you’ll hear from him.” He said. “Tsunashi-san is right, it’s not our fault he just up and left. You’re just overreacting.” Iori said. 

Gaku scowled. “It’s just weird! Why send him back at all if he was just going to leave after a day? And to already have a replacement ready to go the second he leaves, it all just seems odd.” He said. This time Riku looked up at him, though he wasn’t sure if he should say anything. Gaku stared at him, and it made Riku feel put-on-the-spot. 

“In fact,” Gaku started. “It almost seems too convenient.” He finished. Riku gulped, not because he’d done anything, but just because Gaku’s look made him uncomfortable. “I bet you have something to do with it, newbie.” Gaku then said. Everyone was silent and staring at Riku. “What? I just got here, how would I have anything to do with it? I have no idea why this guy went missing!”Riku tried to defend himself. 

Even though he declined Gaku’s theory, he couldn’t help but think about if he was right or not. The thought that Tenn left because of Riku had crossed his mind after all, though he wasn’t sure if he should reveal his connection to the other boy or if he’d be better off keeping it a secret. “You’re lying!” Gaku yelled out, making Riku flinch. 

“Gaku!” Ryuu said in a lecturing voice, but Gaku didn’t seem to be listening. “Isn’t it too convenient? What do you know?” He asked. “Nothing!” Riku exclaimed, sounding more desperate then he would have liked. 

“Gakkun, relax. We’re trying to eat.” This time it was Tamaki who replied, somehow he had already finished his second portion. “If Tenten left, just call him.” He said. Gaku just stared at him. “I already told you, he left his phone behind, he won’t be able to pick up.” He said. “Oh.” Tamaki responded before he shrugged and went back to eating his food. 

Then Gaku started smirking, which unnerved Riku a bit. The gray-haired man stood up and walked around the table to grab the pitcher filled with water before walking back to his own seat. However, on the way, Gaku pretended, really obviously, to fall over, thus spilling all of the water on Riku. “Oops.” Was all Gaku said, looking completely unapologetic. 

Riku blinked in confusion, it took a few seconds for him to register what had happened. The others looked at what had just transpired in shock. Before anyone could say anything, the door opened and Tsukumo came in. “What’s with all this ruckus?” He asked, then stared at Riku, who was covered in water, and the empty pitcher Gaku had placed on the table. 

“Nothing.” Gaku said as he walked back over to his seat. “Nanase just spilled water everywhere.” He then said. Tsukumo sighed. “Fine, I’ll have Tsumugi dry it up later. Nanase Riku, come with me.” He said sternly. Riku nodded and stood up, making sure not to look at anyone as he left the room with Tsukumo. Before the door to the living room closed behind him, Riku could hear the others starting to talk again. “Was that really necessary?” followed by; “Happy now?” and; “I think you went a bit too far just now.” 

Riku was now stood in the entranceway with Tsukumo, sure he’d get a scolding on his first night at the house. Instead, Tsukumo just gestured to the armchair stood in one of the corners. “You have call.” Was all he said, and it was then that Riku noticed the telephone that was on the wall by the armchair. He nodded and sat down before picking it up. Tsukumo left as he did. 

“Hello?” Riku greeted. “Oh, hello honey!” Riku recognized the voice instantly. It was his mother. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you, I just wanted to make sure you got there alright.” Riku was overwhelmed by the sound of his mother’s voice, and he could already feel the tears run down his cheeks. Still, he tried to keep his voice steady as he answered. “Yeah, everything went great. But why aren’t you just calling my mobile?” He asked. 

“Oh, I just thought I’d ask about your boardinghouse while I was at it, so I called the caretaker himself. How are you finding it so far? Did you make any friends yet?” She asked excitedly. Once again, Riku felt extremely lonely when he thought back to the others he had met already. “Yeah, it’s great! This place is really beautiful and the fresh air feels nice! And I’ve made new friends, a lot of them! Like, so many!” He lied, not wanting to alert his mother. 

It was becoming increasingly hard not to break down then and there, especially with his mother on the line. “Oh, that’s great sweetie. Now, I know you’ll probably be busy with school and all your new friends, but make sure to call and text every once in a while. We miss you.” She said. Riku took a shaky breath and tried and failed to hold back tears. 

“Yeah, I will, and I miss you too.” He said. He now had to bite his lip to make sure he didn’t start sobbing. Before he could break down even more, he told himself he needed to end the call. “You know, mom, we’re just eating dinner, so I’d like to get back to the others. But I’ll call you later, okay?” He said. 

“Oh, of course! Have fun, Riku!” She said. “I will. And say hi to dad from me, okay?” He requested. “Will do! Bye!” She said cheerfully. “Bye.” Riku answered and then hung up. The moment he knew his mother couldn’t hear him anymore, he pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands and cried. 

That was when he could hear the door opening. Not wanting to be seen crying, Riku furiously started wiping at his eyes. “I’m sorry about Yaotome-san, he has a short temper, but he’s not actually a bad person. I brought you a-” Someone started. Riku looked up and saw Iori standing in the opening, holding out a black towel. 

Iori’s gaze turned concerned as he silently handed Riku the towel. “Are you alright?” He then asked. Riku tried to laugh it off while drying himself up. “Yeah, sorry, it’s just allergies. You guys have cats, right?” He asked. Iori shook his head. “No, pets aren’t allowed at this school.” He answered. 

Riku blinked a few times before averting his gaze. “Oh, well, I’ll just…” He started before he felt more tears forming. Instead of staying where he was, where Iori could see him. Riku took off and started running up the stairs, leaving the other boy behind in the entranceway. 

His first day at Yaotome Academy and Anubis House had been an emotional rollercoaster, and Riku couldn’t say he was very excited about staying here. He was soaking wet, crying and breathing hard from both the cold water and all the emotions swirling around his head. When he entered his bedroom again, he found it was almost the same way he left it. 

However, the notebooks he had dropped before leaving for his meeting with the headmaster had been picked up and neatly placed on his desk. Riku smiled weakly at that. Maybe they weren’t all that bad. Maybe he’d manage at this new school surrounded by new people. But right now, he just wanted to change into some dry clothes, lay in his bed, and cry his eyes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Riku! I swear, things will get better! I'm also sorry for making Gaku so mean in this, he was just the character that it would make most sense if he acted like this. (in my opinion) I promise, he won't be a bully for very long, he's just upset about Tenn leaving... With that said, I'll be back on Saturday with the next update, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading, and an even bigger thank you for leaving kudos and comments! They keep me motivated to keep writing more than anything ^^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori is worried about Riku, who has taken to avoiding them after what happened the previous night. While avoiding his housemates, Riku manages to make a new friend who is not a resident of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing good! I'm back with a new chapter, and I'm a bit excited about this one, as we get to meet a new character that will be rather important to the story! I think you'll know who I'm talking about once you read it. With that siad, I hope you enjoy this update. ^^  
> If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

For some reason, Iori just couldn’t get last night’s incident out of his mind. He’d had trouble going to sleep last night, because every time he closed his eyes, the new boy’s tear-stained face came to mind. In the end, Iori had been laying awake for over three hours trying to forget about it. But how could he? It was clear that Riku had been upset about what happened, Iori didn’t believe what he had said about allergies for a second.

So, when the alarm rang the next morning, Tamaki, Iori’s roommate, wasn’t the only one having trouble getting out of bed. For a few minutes, Iori just lay there, staring up at the ceiling while trying to muster up the will to get out of bed and get ready for school. Soon, Iori realized how ridiculous he was being. He was already awake, why was it so hard to just sit up and get out of the bed? And so, he sighed and pushed himself up. 

After showering, getting changed and spending longer than he’d like getting Tamaki out of bed, Iori headed for the dining room and the breakfast he knew waited for him and the others every morning. Really, Tsumugi was a blessing to this house. When Iori got there, he wasn’t surprised to see his brother and Sougo already there. 

“Ah, Iori! Good morning!” Mitsuki exclaimed as he saw his younger brother walk through the door. “Good morning, Nii-san, Osaka-san. Is Nikaido-san still asleep?” He asked as he took his seat at the table. Sougo shook his head. “Yamato-san is awake, but he was just getting up as me and Mitsuki-san headed downstairs.” He explained. Iori wasn’t surprised at all. Yamato was much lazier compared to his two other roommates, Mitsuki and Sougo. 

The door to the living room opened again, and in came Ryuu, closely followed by a frowning Gaku. “Good morning guys!” Ryuu said, happy and calm as always. “Morning.” Gaku simply said before he sat down and started buttering a piece of toast. 

Next up was Nagi, who came down looking as beautiful as always, Mitsuki claimed it was witchcraft. “Good morning everyone!” He greeted cheerfully as he sat down at the table and started pouring himself a cup of tea. About ten minutes passed before they were joined by someone else, this time it was Yamato who had managed to get himself out of bed. 

“Morning you guys. Is the coffee ready?” He asked with a yawn. Sougo nodded before he got up and got the kettle for Yamato. “You know, Yamato-san, if you keep having only coffee for breakfast, you’re not gonna last very long.” Mitsuki lectured. Iori smiled fondly to himself thinking about how caring his brother was. 

Yamato just shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll start eating. Just not today.” He said as he started sipping his coffee. Then the door opened again, and a sleepy-looking Tamaki walked into the room. His eyes were lidded and his hair a mess, meaning he was still half asleep. Iori sighed, not at all surprised at his friend’s state. It was first after having gotten some food in his stomach that Tamaki actually started looking alive. 

Tamaki, now more alert than earlier, seemed to notice something. “Hm? Where’s Rikkun? Is he still sleeping? Maybe he’s lazy like me!” He exclaimed. And, looking around, Iori noted that the redhead was indeed not there yet. Nagi shook his head. “No, he was already up when I woke! Left just as I got out of bed, and he didn’t even say good morning…” Nagi said, sounding disappointed. 

Gaku scoffed and looked to the side, he clearly still hadn’t let go of his theory from last night. Iori found it ridiculous. It was then that Tsumugi entered the room. “Riku-san asked to bring his breakfast with him. He said he wanted to look around the campus before school started, to be able to know his way around better. He sure seems diligent.” She said with a smile and then ventured back into the kitchen. 

Iori thought back to Riku’s face the other night, how sad he had looked, and Iori instantly felt bad again. He knew that he technically didn’t do anything, but sometimes, doing nothing could be just as bad. Maybe he should have stood up for him? Or maybe tried to talk to him during dinner? 

Iori shook his head. What was going on? He didn’t usually concern himself with others to such a degree as he was now. There was just something about Riku that had caught his interest. There was the fact that ever since he saw him, Iori had thought that the new boy was absolutely adorable, but that wasn’t it. At least Iori thought so. 

Iori was soon pulled out of his thoughts by Mitsuki speaking up. “You guys.” He started, gaining everybody’s attention. “I don’t think Riku left early because he wanted to look around the school. I think he’s avoiding us.” He said. Iori understood where his brother was coming from, and he agreed that that was most likely the case. 

“I thought so too.” Sougo admitted. “We weren’t exactly being very welcoming last night. I feel bad.” He continued. “Okay!” Tamaki exclaimed loudly as he stood up, making everyone turn to look at him. “Me and Iorin can try and befriend him today at school! Then maybe we could all welcome him again tonight!” He suggested. 

The others nodded. “I’m for that idea.” Yamato said. “Great! I’ll go talk to Tsumugi-san about it right now!” Sougo said as he walked away into the kitchen. Gaku sighed. “If you guys want to take pity on the guy, you’ll have to do it without me. I’m going to talk to my old man, see you.” He said as he stood up, grabbed his bag and left. 

Ryuu sighed. “He’s just holding a grudge for nothing. Poor Riku-kun… I’m worried about Tenn too, but Gaku’s wrong to take it out on Riku-kun.” He said. Iori finished up the last of his breakfast then and stood up. “Yaotome-san is driven by he’s emotions, he’ll calm down. Eventually. I don’t think you have to worry about him, he’ll work out how childish he’s being on his own and apologize soon enough.” Iori said before leaving the dining room. 

Iori walked back to his and Tamaki’s room, packed his bag with everything he’d need for the day, and then went to the kitchen to get his lunch from Tsumugi. He thanked the housemother and then he started leaving. “Ah, Iorin! You’re leaving already? Wait for me!” Tamaki exclaimed as he saw Iori walking towards the door. 

Iori sighed. “Hurry up then, if you’re not in the entrance hall in five minutes, I’m leaving without you.” He said. Tamaki nodded and grinned. “Got it!” Before he dashed off to finish whatever he needed to do before leaving. Iori looked at the clock, it was still 40 minutes left until school started, but Iori wanted to try and find Riku before the first class, if only to ask if he was doing okay. 

With only 32 seconds to spare, Tamaki appeared in the entrance to the house, uniform and hair still looking a bit messy, but at least he was awake and well-fed. Iori sighed and motioned for the other boy to follow him. And so, the two were off for school. 

Riku sighed as he walked out of the house. It was early, perhaps a bit too early, school didn’t start for another two hours after all. Had Riku made sure to wake up extra early so that he could grab something to eat and head out before everyone else got up just to avoid seeing any of them? Yes. Was he proud of his decision? Not in the slightest. He knew things weren’t going to get better if he kept avoiding the other guys, but he was still upset about last night. 

Riku wasn’t exactly sure where to go now that he had left the house. The school wouldn’t open for another hour, so he was stuck outside. Maybe he could find some nice bench in a secluded area of the school grounds where he could sit down and eat his breakfast? If he remembered correctly, there was a bench in a clearing behind the house, maybe he could go there? 

Having made up his mind, Riku wandered around to the back of Anubis House and found it immediately at the edge of the woods that lay behind the house. He was just about to sit down when he noticed that he wasn’t alone. At the other end of the bench sat an old lady. She had brown eyes, short and curly white hair and wore nothing but a white nightgown with pink flowers on it and some slippers. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, is it okay if I join you?” He asked her, and for a minute she just stared ahead. But then she slowly turned her head around and looked at him, smiled and then nodded. Riku smiled back and sat down. As he started fishing out his breakfast, Riku noticed that the old lady’s arms were covered in gooseflesh. It was still early in the morning and she wasn’t wearing very thick clothes, so it was to be expected. 

“Here, you’ll get cold.” He told her as he took of his blazer and placed it over her shoulders. She was still looking at him, had been ever since he sat down, but once he had placed the blazer over her, she turned her head around and stared up at the house instead. “That is my house, you know?” She said. 

Riku swallowed the bite he had taken of his sandwich, which was delicious, Tsumugi was really good at cooking he had learned, and then turned to look at the old lady in confusion. “Huh?” He asked. She then pointed at the House of Anubis. “That is my house.” She repeated calmly. 

“I think you’re mistaken.” Riku told her. “That house belongs to the school, to Yaotome Academy.” He explained further. The old lady turned to him, a slightly sad smile on her face. Riku cleared his throat. “Uhm, do you live at the retirement home? Do you want me to walk you back there?” He asked. The lady seemed to be a bit confused, maybe she had just wandered out on her own. The least Riku could do was help her back, besides, he had time before school started anyway. 

Riku was just about to stand up and help the old lady, when he felt her grab ahold of his arms with much more strength than Riku thought her capable of. She stared at him again, but this time much more intense than before. Normally this would make Riku a bit uncomfortable, but there was something about the strange old lady that was almost soothing to him. 

“It’s you, isn’t it?” She said after a minute of silent staring. “What?” Riku asked in confusion. The lady started smiling, bright and true. “It is you! I knew you would come eventually!” She then exclaimed. Riku smiled apologetically as he tried to pull free of her hold. “I’m really sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even know you.” He said, trying to calm her down. 

She didn’t let go, but she leaned back and relaxed her hold so that her grip wasn’t as strong as before. “Sara, my name is Sara.” She said. Riku smiled at her. “Okay, Sara, it’s nice to meet you!” He said. Sara nodded and seemed to calm down even more. 

“It’s a bit cold out here, don’t you think?” Riku then asked. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” He invited her, motioning towards the house. However, this seemed to upset the old woman, as she let go of Riku’s arms and looked almost afraid. “No! I can’t go in there! He’s waiting! He’s always waiting!” She said. 

Riku winced, so that had definitely been the wrong thing to say. “Okay, okay!” He said, trying to calm Sara down. He stood up, after which Sara started panicking even more. She grabbed ahold of his arm and looked pleadingly up at him. “Are you leaving? You can’t leave! Not now that I’ve finally found you!” She exclaimed. 

Riku grabbed her hands and smiled down at her. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.” He said to reassure her. She nodded and calmed down again. “Sara, how about I take you back to the retirement home? We could have some tea and talk some more, is that okay?” He suggested. Sara said nothing, but she soon nodded and stood up on shaking legs. Riku held her arm as they slowly but surely started making their way toward the retirement home. 

When they got there, someone was already waiting outside, looking around frantically, presumably searching for Sara. The woman in front of the retirement home looked to be in her forties or fifties, with straight black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, big green eyes and tan skin that was starting to wrinkle. She looked immensely relieved upon seeing the two of them. 

“Emi!” She exclaimed as she ran over. “I’m sorry for the trouble, Emi is not usually one to run around. She’s a bit confused, but she usually stays put in her room.” The woman explained. “Emi?” Riku questioned, confused whether the old lady was really named Sara or Emi. The worker they’d run into led them back inside, Riku noted that her name was Tomiko, it said so on her nameplate. 

Riku had the blazer he’d lent Sara/Emi earlier returned, and then he started looking around the retirement home. The first thing that caught his attention was a painting on the wall, a painting of something very familiar. “Hey, that’s the House of Anubis!” Riku exclaimed and walked over to the painting. 

Riku turned back to Tomiko and Sara/Emi. “She said she used to live there, or at least she suggested it.” Riku explained, gesturing to the old lady. Tomiko chuckled. “Oh, I find that highly unlikely. Though with some of these confused old people, you never know.” She said, adding a wink at the end before turning back to Sara/Emi. “Isn’t that right Emi?” Tomiko asked, or more like yelled. 

Sara/Emi rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to shout, I’m not deaf you know.” She said. Tomiko closed her eyes and laughed. While the caretaker wasn’t looking, Sara/Emi turned to Riku and put her finger in front of her lips, motioning for him to be silent. Riku was a bit confused, was she asking him not to tell other people about her supposed connection to Anubis House? 

Tomiko then proceeded to move them into a bedroom, on the door there was a sign that said ‘Fushimi Emi’. This room must belong to the old lady, so her name was really Emi after all? Riku was still a bit confused but followed them into the room anyway. 

Tomiko sat Emi down in a rocking chair and then turned to Riku. “Thank you so much for your help, if you have time, would you like to stay for a cup of tea?” She asked kindly. Riku looked at the clock, there were still almost an hour left until his first class, and he could make it to school in ten minutes. “That’d be nice, thank you!” He said. 

Tomiko smiled and nodded before walking away, presumably to prepare the tea, leaving Riku alone with Emi. “I won’t be missed either way.” Riku whispered to himself before he walked over to join the old lady at the table. Emi turned to him and looked expectantly at Riku before reaching out and taking ahold of his hand. 

“I’ve been waiting so long for your arrival, keeping the secret. Now it’s your turn.” She said before turning Riku’s hands around so that they were now palms up. She then reached behind her neck and removed some sort of necklace that she placed in Riku’s open palms. “Here, take this. But keep it well hidden, you can’t show anyone, or they’ll take it away from you!” She warned, looking seriously at him. 

Riku nodded in confusion. Emi then looked away, a sad expression taking over her features. “They take everything away from you in the end…” She said. Riku turned too look at what he’d been given. It was some sort of locket in what looked like the shape of an eye. It was made of wood with a piece of metal surrounding it, and in the middle, there was some sort of red gem. 

“I- I’m flattered, but I couldn’t possibly take this.” Riku said, trying to give it back to the old woman. She turned back to look at him, her face looked almost distressed. “But you must!” She exclaimed, once more taking ahold of Riku’s hands, this time to close them around the locket. “It will keep you safe.” She continued. 

Riku was still really confused, but he nodded and thanked her, as to not upset her further. Emi smiled, but then turned serious once more. “There’s treasure in that house, you know?” She said. Riku’s eyes widened. She continued to talk. “Only you have the power to find and protect it. But you must be careful and trust no one, for there is also danger in that house. There’s evil. It’s a bad house. A dark house.” 

Riku gulped, suddenly feeling unnerved by the direction the conversation was going in. “It may be a bit creepy, but I don’t know about evil. Emi, I really don’t think I should-” Riku started but was immediately interrupted. “Sara! My name is Sara! And I know you!” She said, this time sounding desperate. 

Riku felt almost bad for her. “Okay, okay. I really don’t know what to think, but I know what it’s like to miss the place you come from. You see, I just got here and-” Riku started, but was soon interrupted again. It seemed like the woman hadn’t listened to him. “And you know me, Riku.” She said, shocking Riku. 

“How do you know my name? I don’t think I ever told you.” Riku said. The woman smiled at him gently. “That’s because we’re connected, you and I. But I need you to trust me. My name is really Sara, and everything I just told you is true. You have to find the treasure. But you must beware the black bird, do you hear me? Beware the black bird!” She said. 

Riku gulped but nodded. He was still confused, but for some reason he believed what Sara was saying. Maybe it was the desperation in her voice, the way she looked at him, or maybe the fact the she knew his name. But he believed every word she said, and he had no idea why. 

Iori wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but when he’d come to school without finding Riku anywhere, he had been a bit disappointed. He couldn’t help it, the image of the new boy crying had imprinted itself onto his mind and he couldn’t forget it. Every time he thought of it, a knot would form in his stomach, leaving him feeling worried. 

When class started and Riku still hadn’t shown up, Iori was getting a bit antsy, he even considered leaving the classroom to look for him, and Iori never missed a class unless he absolutely had to. That was when, to Iori’s immense relief, Riku came stumbling into the classroom looking flustered and breathing hard. He must have been running late. 

“I am… so sorry… for being late…” He managed to get out between deep breaths. The teacher, Okazaki Rinto, who was teaching Japanese literature, smiled gently. “It’s okay, I was just about to start, so you’re just on time! Maybe be a bit more careful next time though?” He said. Riku smiled and nodded. 

“Good.” Okazaki exclaimed before he turned back to the rest of the class. “Before we get started, allow me to introduce a new addition to this class, Nanase Riku-kun.” He said, gesturing to Riku, who was still breathing suspiciously hard and flushed a darker shade of pink than before. “Uhm… Hi?” He started. “I’m Nanase Riku.” He then introduced. 

Okazaki cleared his throat. “Nanase-kun is here on a scholarship, but there were some mishaps with the paperwork, which is why he’s starting now for the second term. That being said, he is as much of a student here as all of you, so treat him nicely!” He said before pointing to an empty desk at the back of the room. “You may take that seat and then we can start.” Okazaki told Riku, who nodded and walked over to the empty desk. 

The day after that went by rather uneventfully. Iori and Tamaki both tried to talk to Riku during breaks, but the other boy always managed to slip out before they could get to him. As they were walking back, Tamaki sighed. “Iorin, how long do you think Rikkun will avoid us?” He asked. 

“I don’t know, Yotsuba-san, but we’re in the same class and we’re also staying at the same boardinghouse, so I doubt it will go on for too long.” Iori answered. He may look indifferent to the matter on the outside, but he was actually a bit concerned. Hopefully, they hadn’t scared the new boy away with what happened last night. 

It was first at dinner that night that Iori saw Riku again, though he came down while talking to Nagi, so maybe they as roommates had at least hit it off. That was good, maybe Riku would start talking to the rest of them that way. They were all sat down, eating their food, when Tamaki turned to Riku with an eager expression. 

“That’s right, Rikkun, why were you almost late to class this morning? You left first out of all of us, after all.” He asked. Riku almost choked on the water he was drinking, he coughed a few times and then looked up at Tamaki, expression shocked. “Rikkun?” He asked confused. 

The others chuckled. “Tama gives everyone nicknames, just roll with it.” Yamato said with a shrug. Riku raised an eyebrow but nodded either way. That was when Tsumugi entered, her usual smile on her face. “A little birdie told me Riku-san was helping an old lady across the street this morning.” She said before leaving. 

Riku chuckled. Iori decided right then that he liked that sound quite a lot. “Quite literally.” Riku started. When everyone, except for maybe Gaku, looked at him expectantly, Riku realized they wanted him to explain. “There was an old lady from the retirement home sat on a bench outside the house this morning. I helped her get back and then they offered me some tea. I lost track of time drinking it is all.” He explained. 

>“I see.” Tamaki said, and just when everyone thought he’d go back to eating, he asked yet another question. “Rikkun, why were you avoiding Iorin and I today at school? You know you can hang out with us, right?” He asked. Riku’s eyes widened, but not in surprise this time, now it looked more like guilt. 

“I wasn’t- I mean, I just thought… I-I was… Uhm… I’m sorry…” Riku trailed off, it was clear he felt like he’d been put at the spot. That was when Gaku scoffed and left the room. “Gaku!” Ryuu called after him, but when Gaku slammed the door to the living room, they all turned back to Riku. “I’m so sorry about him. He’s upset about Tenn leaving, though he won’t admit that’s the case. He’ll come around eventually.” Ryuu said. 

“Also,” Iori started, gaining everyone’s attention. “It’s not like you have to apologize about today. It’s understandable that you’d be avoiding us, considering what happened last night.” He finished. Riku looked away, his expression still looked a bit guilty. 

“That’s right!” This time it was Mitsuki who spoke up. “Riku, we’re really sorry about what happened yesterday! It must be hard to come to an all new school without knowing anyone! We should have made you feel more welcome.” He said. Riku smiled at them then, it was small, but it felt genuine, which made Iori feel satisfied. 

“Thank you. And it’s not your fault. I get that it’s difficult when someone just disappears like that, so I don’t really blame you.” Riku said. Iori couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard Riku whisper something after that. “I know perfectly well what it’s like to be left behind, after all.” Iori frowned but didn’t want to bring it up in front of everyone. 

“I think you have every right to blame us. We were awful last night.” Sougo said. Riku just shook his head and kept saying that it was really fine now. “Why don’t we start over then?” Yamato soon suggested. They all turned to him. “Nanase Riku, welcome to the House of Anubis. We’d love to get to know you better, so please stop avoiding us?” Yamato said with a smirk. 

Riku chuckled. “That sounds good to me.” He then said with a shy smile. After that, the mood got a lot better. Ryuu had left to check on Gaku, who still hadn’t gotten over everything that had happened, but the others were slowly opening up to the new boy, who in turn started smiling more. Iori felt at ease again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was all for this time! I hope you liked it and I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter! I also hope it made sense the way I referred to Sara? Since Riku was confused about her name, I thought it best to refer to her in whatever way Riku believed to be correct at the time. Also, if you're wondering about the locket, here is a picture of it: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/f1/06/a0f106e221b9ba3139b7bdce97d615dc.jpg  
> Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for leaving kudos or comments! They make me super happy! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku has a nightmare and Gaku has an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter that I hope you will find enjoyable! Also, happy (late) ioriku day!<3<3<3 If you have any questions or want to talk, please contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Riku couldn’t quite recall how he got to this point. It was the middle of the night, and he was standing outside in the dark hallway. The thing is, the last thing he remembers is that he lay in his bed. When did he leave? And why? That’s when he heard something coming from downstairs.

Riku gulped as he slowly started making his way through the hallway towards the stairs. Riku wasn’t sure what the sound was, but for some reason he couldn’t ignore it. Before reaching the stairs he had to pass by Tsukumo’s office, so he had to be really careful. It was past ten o'clock after all, and Riku really didn’t want to know what happened if you were found wandering around after dark. 

As he slowly and silently made his way past Tsukumo’s office, he suddenly saw something move in the corner of his eye. Riku turned around and gazed through the window that separated the hallway from the office, and on the other side, he saw it. Right there, on the desk, looking more ominous than Riku could remember it, was Tsukumo’s big stuffed raven, Corbierre. 

For some reason Riku couldn’t look away, it was as if the raven was pulling him in. That’s when Riku heard a voice. Sara’s voice. “Beware the black bird!” She said, over and over again. Riku’s breathing started to become uneven, but he still didn’t look away from the dead bird. How could something that was stuffed look so alive? And so threatening? 

That’s when Riku came to, abruptly sitting up in his bed while panting hard. It took a minute for him to take in his surroundings and process what was going on. It had just been a dream. He’d had a nightmare. Riku took a deep breath in relief as he had that realization. This house was creepy enough as it is, did Sara really have to put those unsettling thoughts into his head on top of that? 

“What’s going on?” Someone asked from the other side of the room. Riku looked up to see a tired-looking Nagi pushing himself up on his elbows to see what was happening. Riku must have accidentally woken him up. “It’s nothing. You can go back to sleep.” Riku whispered, not wanting to bother his roommate anymore than he already had. 

Riku sighed and lay back down on his bed, though he wasn’t really tired anymore. He turned around to lay on his side, then he reached out for his phone and pulled the blankets up over his head. He used his phone as a flashlight as he fished out the locket that Sara had given to him from under his shirt. 

Riku still didn’t understand why she had done that, or what she’d meant by ‘It will protect you’. He wondered what it was. That’s when he noticed something he hadn’t seen before, he saw that the locket could be opened. Riku fumbled with it for a few seconds, but soon managed to get it open. Inside was a picture of a little girl with braids. 

For a few minutes, Riku just stared at the picture, then he started turning the locket around in his hand, looking for any sort of indication of who the girl in the picture could be. She was clearly young, maybe around seven or eight? The picture was in black and white as well, so it was most likely quite old. But no matter how hard he looked, Riku couldn’t find a name. He frowned and put the locket and his phone away before trying to go back to sleep. 

As it turns out, falling asleep again after a nightmare while having thoughts about a strange locket and a strange girl on your mind was not the easiest thing. It was only about an hour before his alarm went off that Riku actually managed to drift off, and now that his clock was beeping, he felt really sluggish. 

Riku groaned and sat up in order to turn his alarm off. He let out a big yawn as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and buried his face in his hands. “Good morning! Did you sleep well?” Nagi asked from the other side of the room. Riku figured he had already been up for a few minutes, otherwise, how would he be so chipper already? 

“Good morning. I suppose I slept okay, when I did sleep that is… Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep.” He explained. Nagi gave him a sympathetic look as he tied his tie around his neck. “That’s no good. Do you drink coffee? I could make you a nice cup while you get ready? Or maybe you'd prefer some tea?” He suggested. 

Riku smiled up at him. “Thank you, some coffee would be nice.” He said. Ever since dinner last night, everyone (save for Gaku) had been a lot nicer to him, maybe even too nice, like they were afraid of hurting his feelings again. Riku really liked that they treated him nicely, but he’d also like it if they didn’t make such a big deal out of it all. 

As Nagi left for the kitchen, Riku headed towards the bathroom, running into Mitsuki on the way. They greeted each other and then Mitsuki headed back into the room on the other side of Riku and Nagi’s room, the one he shared with Yamato and Sougo. 

Riku quickly washed up, then headed back into his bedroom and got changed into his uniform. Riku then left the room and headed downstairs. When he entered the dining room he was surprised to see that only Nagi and Iori were there so far. “Good morning, where are the others?” He asked. 

First, Nagi placed a cup of coffee before Riku, then Iori turned to look at Riku before he started explaining. “Well, Nii-san and Osaka-san are probably making sure that Nikaido-san gets out of bed, Yotsuba-san is awake, but probably still working on actually leaving his bed, and Yaotome-san and Tsunashi-san will most likely come any minute now.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “I see.” He said before turning back to his coffee. However, from time to time he would notice Iori casting glances his way. After a few minutes, Riku decided to ask him about it. “Did you want something?” He asked while looking at Iori, who Riku could have sworn flushed at him. Though it was admittedly a bit hard to tell. 

“N-not really. I was just… wondering if you’d slept okay? You’ve got bags under your eyes.” The raven-haired boy pointed out, this time making Riku flush. “Oh…” He said, reaching a hand up to his face at the realization. “I sort of… had a nightmare last night. And then I couldn’t fall back asleep for the longest time. But I’m fine, really! Thanks for asking though.” Riku said sheepishly. 

Iori frowned. “A nightmare? What was it about?” He asked. Riku was about to answer him, saying that it had been about Corbierre, but he suddenly felt a bit self-conscious about it. Maybe he’d be made fun of for dreaming bad dreams about Tsukumo’s stuffed animals? “I don’t really remember. Sorry…” Is what Riku decided to answer, an apologetic smile on his face. 

“It’s nothing to apologize for, I barely ever remember my dreams. But you should try and get some proper rest tonight, or you’ll find yourself collapsing in the end.” Iori lectured. Riku pouted, talk about Riku taking care of his health just hit too close to home. Not that Iori knew that, Riku still hadn’t told anyone about his condition yet. “I know that!” Riku exclaimed in a whining voice. 

That’s when the door opened, and a lot of people piled in. Mitsuki and Sougo, followed by Yamato, then just a minute later both Ryuu and Gaku walked in. The only one who still wasn’t there now was Tamaki. Everyone said their good mornings and then immersed themselves in breakfast. 

It was first 15 minutes later that the blue-haired boy came walking into the room, still wrapped in a blanket and dragging his feet behind him. He looked almost like a zombie, Riku noted. And judging by the lack of reactions from everyone else, this was a pretty normal state for Tamaki. 

Once they were practically finished, Gaku cleared his throat, gaining everybody’s attention. “So,” He started. “I’ve been thinking.” He said. “Finally.” Yamato joked, earning a few giggles from some and a glare from Gaku. “Right…” He said, sounding irritated, before he shook his head and turned to look directly at Riku. “I think we got off on the wrong foot, you and I. So, I thought maybe we could have a little initiation. You know, to properly welcome you to the house and all.” He explained. 

Riku swallowed the remaining food that was in his mouth and then looked at Gaku. He was happy at first, when it seemed like Gaku might be apologizing, but now he felt more wary than anything, as if he had some hidden intentions. “An initiation? What are you suggesting?” Riku asked curiously. 

Gaku smirked. “Well, something sort of like a test, you do something to prove you’ll fit in with us.” He explained. “But Gakkun, none of us had to do an initi-” Tamaki started, but was soon interrupted by something, as he started grunting in pain. Judging by the fact that he reached down under the table, Riku guessed someone had either kicked him in the shin or stepped on his foot. 

Riku sighed, he’d figured it was something like that, but he decided to play along for now. Maybe if he did whatever Gaku wanted him to do for the initiation, they could put whatever silly grudge Gaku had for him behind them. “So, you want me to do something like a dare? Or what?” He asked. 

Gaku rolled his eyes. “Call it whatever you like, are you in or not?” He then asked impatiently. “I want to know what it is before I agree.” Riku said, giving Gaku a suspicious look. Gaku sighed. “What? You scared it will be too extreme for you? Don’t you want to be part of this house?” He then asked. 

The mood in the room was awkward, no one really knew whether to stop Gaku or not, because it was quite clear that he didn’t really have good intentions. Some of them turned to Ryuu, who simply shook his head, telling them that he had no idea what Gaku was doing. 

Riku looked a bit uncertain for a minute, but how bad could it really be? He knew Gaku didn’t like him very much, for some reason, but from what the others had told him, he wasn’t really a bad guy. Riku made up his mind then. “Fine, I’ll do it. What do I need to do?” He asked while trying to gather as much courage as he could, not wanting to show how worried he actually was. 

Gaku smirked. “Tomorrow, at lunch, I want you and me to go back to the house. Then I want you to go into Tsukumo’s office and steal the key to the attic.” He said. Everyone turned to Gaku with shocked expressions. “You can’t be serious…” Iori said. “Gaku, you can’t make him do that!” Ryuu exclaimed. 

Gaku simply scoffed at their reactions. “Relax, Tsukumo always eats lunch out in town on Fridays, so he won’t be here. And besides, I wasn’t finished yet.” He said and turned back to Riku, who now looked a bit paler than before. “After that, at midnight on Friday, I want you to use that key, go up to the attic, and bring something back to show us as proof. That’s your initiation.” He said. 

Riku gulped, he knew that would be breaking multiple rules, he’d go into Tsukumo’s office unsupervised, steal a key, be up after nightfall and go into the attic, which was strictly forbidden. Still, he didn’t want to chicken out now, especially not after he’d already agreed to do it. “Fine, tomorrow at lunch? I got it.” He said, before he went back to eating. 

Ryuu, who was glaring at Gaku, took ahold of the grey-haired man’s arm, dragging him away into the hallway. Once they were gone, Iori turned to Riku with a concerned expression. “You know you don’t have to do it, right? We won’t think you’re a coward for not doing it.” He said. 

Riku smiled appreciatively but shook his head. “It’s okay, besides, I already agreed to do it.” He said. “You should really think about it though.” Sougo then said. “If Tsukumo found out, he could have you expelled and kicked out.” He explained. Riku nodded, he figured that was the case, still, he felt like he had to do it now. “It’s okay, really. Thanks for worrying though.” He said. 

Riku then hurried to finish the last of his breakfast, so that they couldn’t keep telling him how stupid it was to go through with it. If they did, he might actually agree. However, Riku stopped when he got out into the hallway as he heard raised voices. They came from the other side of a half-open door at the end of the hallway. It was the room that belonged to Ryuu and Gaku. 

“I can’t believe you! If he gets caught, you know Tsukumo will talk to your father, who in turn will expel him! This isn’t just some silly prank Gaku, this is serious!” Ryuu said. Riku could hear Gaku click his tongue. “If he does get expelled, then good riddance!” He yelled back. Riku gasped as he heard that, he knew Gaku didn’t like him, but would he really try to get him expelled? 

“You’re taking this too far! Just because you manage to chase the new guy out, it doesn’t mean you’ll get Tenn back! And don’t even get me started on that, because you know you’re just being mean to Riku-kun because you’re upset about Tenn leaving!” Ryuu yelled back. “So what?” Gaku sounded angry now. Ryuu sighed. “If you’re going to make Riku-kun do this, then you are going to be there as he does it, making sure that he doesn’t get caught! I’ll be there too if I have to!” He said. 

Gaku huffed. “Suit yourself.” He said. Riku then heard footsteps, so he hurried to leave the hallway, quickly making his way upstairs to his room. Once he was in the solitude of his bedroom, he sighed. He was really starting to regret this by now. But he still felt like he couldn’t back out. He’d just have to grit his teeth, be as careful as he could be, and get it over with. 

Lunchtime on Friday arrived much too quickly for Riku’s liking. He only became more and more nervous as the hours passed, but he tried not to show it. And when the bell rang to tell everyone that the final class before lunch was over, Riku didn’t even hear it, he was so caught up thinking about everything that could go wrong. 

He was pulled back to reality by someone placing a hand on his shoulder. Riku looked up and saw a worried-looking Iori. “Nanase-san, it’s not too late to back out. You can still say no, and nobody would blame you. Sure, maybe Yaotome-san would be a bit irritated, but literally no one else would care.” He said. 

Riku smiled. “Thank you, Iori, but it’s really fine. I’ll just… get it over with, I supposed.” He said, though he was aware that he didn’t sound very convincing. Iori had probably figured out that Riku didn’t really want to do this. Still, Riku grabbed his bag and headed for the door, while Iori went back over to Tamaki. 

In the hallway outside of the classroom, Riku saw both Gaku and Ryuu waiting for him. “You ready?” Gaku asked with a smirk. Riku nodded but judging from the pleased look on Gaku’s face and the concerned one on Ryuu’s face, he probably didn’t look very ready. Still, the three wasted no more time standing around in the school, instead they walked straight back to the house. 

Once there, Ryuu carefully opened the front door and they all went inside. “Hello?” Ryuu called out, trying to make sure no one was home. Despite what Gaku had said to Ryuu about wanting Riku gone, he really had checked to make sure the house would be empty when they did it. Tsumugi was out shopping for groceries while Tsukumo had lunch somewhere else. (Probably because Tsumugi always did the weekly shopping and couldn’t make him food on fridays.) 

Once the three of them had made sure that they were alone, they walked up the stairs and stopped outside of Tsukumo’s office. “Okay.” Gaku started and turned to Riku. “You go in there, find the key to the attic, take it and then get out. And a word of advice, try not to break anything.” He said. Riku nodded. “Seems simple enough.” 

Before he could start, Ryuu grabbed his shoulder and gave him an apologetic smile. “Me and Gaku will keep watch out here and let you know if Tsumugi or Tsukumo returns. Be careful, and just ask if you need help, okay?” He said. Riku smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” He said. Having Ryuu there was a huge relief as Riku didn’t trust Gaku to have his back with what he was about to do. 

Riku took a deep breath and then he entered the room. If you ignored all the dead animals that were either stuffed or mounted (or both), the room looked very normal. It had a desk and a chair, a floor lamp and a desk lamp, an armchair in the corner, a bookshelf and some cabinets. From what Riku had been told earlier, he’d have about 15 to 20 minutes to look before Tsukumo came back, so he better get to it. 

He started with the desk, looking through the things on top of it while being careful not to move things too far out of place and to try and put them back where they had been afterwards, as to not alert Tsukumo that they’d been there. When he found nothing on the desk, he started looking through the drawers. The two top ones were pretty small and quick to look through, but the two bigger drawers on the bottom were locked, so he couldn’t get into them. 

Riku decided trying to get them open would take too much time,he just had to hope that the key wasn't in there. And so, he quickly moved on from the desk and started looking through one of the cabinets. “Hurry up, ten minutes have already passed!” Gaku said impatiently from the other side of the door. “I know! I’m trying!” Riku replied, feeling more and more stressed by the second. 

That’s when Riku saw it. On top of one of the cabinets there was a smaller cabinet with a glass window at the front, and inside, all of the keys you could want were hung up on tiny hooks. “Yes!” Riku cheered to himself. He reached up and opened it, luckily it hadn’t been locked. Now he just had to find which one went to the attic, he felt so grateful that Tsukumo had labeled them. 

“Riku-kun, Tsukumo’s back! Get out of there now!” Ryuu called out, his voice full of worry. “I almost got it!” Riku called out. His heart was beating so hard in his chest, he was surprised he hadn’t gotten an attack yet with how stressed he felt. Riku heard someone coming up the stairs and knew he had to stop, but that’s when he spotted what he’d been looking for, the key to the attic. 

Riku grabbed the key as quickly as he could and then made sure to close the door the glass cabinet before he started running out of the office. However, Riku’s foot got caught at the end of the desk and fell over, flat on his back and onto the floor. But that wasn’t the worst, in the fall, he had managed to knock over Corbierre, Tsukumo’s priced, stuffed raven. That raven now lay on Riku’s chest staring into his eyes, and that was the very moment when Tsukumo came up the stairs and saw everything. 

Ryuu, and even Gaku to a certain degree, looked worried about this turn of events. Tsukumo looked furious as he stared at Riku, laying on the floor of his office with his precious raven on his chest. “What is the meaning of this?!” Tsukumo roared, making all three of them flinch at the tone and volume he had yelled at. 

Riku hurried to stand up, putting Corbierre back on the desk while also making sure that he hadn’t destroyed the bird. He was extremely relieved to find that it was still whole. “Uhm, there’s a perfectly good explanation to this.” Ryuu started, trying to find a way out of the situation. “Go on then! Explain!” Tsukumo yelled angrily. 

Gaku said nothing, instead trying his best to avert his eyes and pretend as if he hadn’t been a part of whatever this thing was. Ryuu didn’t have much luck either, Riku could see that he was trying to think of something to say, but he could also see that he was failing. And so, it was up to Riku to get himself out of this mess. 

“I uhm… I saw a spider!” Riku exclaimed. It may not have been the best excuse, Riku had never been a good liar, but he’d just have to roll with it. “A spider?” Tsukumo asked in disbelief. Riku nodded. “Yes! A spider! It was huge and brown and really disgusting!” Riku started to explain. 

“You see, Gaku, Ryuu and I all forgot some of our notes for class, so we went back together to get it! And when I was on my way down and passed by your office, I saw it. I screamed, which is why those two came up here! It was sat right on Corbierre’s beak! I swear, I was just trying to get the spider! I know I wasn’t supposed to have entered your office, but it was really big and disgusting! I was just trying to help!” Riku finished explaining. 

Tsukumo still looked angry and irritated. “Then why were you on the floor?” He asked, sounding so done with this situation. “I fell over?” Riku suggested. “You see, I’m pretty clumsy… But at least your bird is alright!” He then said. Tsukumo grunted and pushed his way past Riku to give the raven a look-over. 

To Riku’s relief, it seemed Tsukumo was satisfied with how Corbierre looked. “Listen, I will write it off as an accident this one time, but if I catch you in here one more time, you will be in a whole lot of trouble!” He said, still looking very angry. “Yes, Sir!” Riku, Ryuu and Gaku all said at the same time. “Now get back to school!” Tsukumo yelled back, wanting some alone time with his raven. 

All three of them grabbed their bags and hurried out of the house. It was only when they were a good few minutes away from the house that they stopped to catch their breaths. “A spider? You managed to get out of that situation using a sider as an excuse?” Gaku questioned Riku. 

Riku smiled awkwardly in return. “I guess Tsukumo must really dislike spiders?” He suggested. Ryuu laughed out loud at that. “Oh man, I was so scared! I thought we were screwed! But we didn’t even get punished! Good thinking there, Riku-kun.” He said. “Thank you.” Riku answered. 

Gaku scoffed. “It was a shit excuse.” He said with a frown. “But it worked, didn’t it?” Ryuu answered with a smile, effectively shutting Gaku up. It was first about a minute later that Gaku turned back to Riku. “So? Did you get it?” He asked. Riku smiled proudly and fished the key that he’d manage to grab at the very last minute out of his pocket. “Tada!” He said. 

“You actually did it!” Ryuu said, amazed and still a bit high on adrenalin from having encountered Tsukumo. Riku nodded. “It was at the very last minute, but yeah. I got it.” He said. For a minute, just one minute, they shared a moment where everything seemed peaceful. But, of course Gaku had to break it once more. 

“This was only the first part, you know. The real test comes tonight. Midnight, in front of the door to the attic.” He said before he walked back towards the school. Ryuu gave Riku one final apologetic look before he followed Gaku. Riku sighed. He thought maybe what they’d just done would have brought him closer to Gaku, or at least make him hate Riku less. But alas, it seems he was now back to how he was before. 

Riku put the key back into his pocket and then he too started walking back to the school. While he had managed to get his hands on the key, he still actually had to go up to the attic. Two rules broken, two to go. Riku sighed, he really wasn’t excited for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time we'll visit the attic, are you excited? Things are going to start getting more mysterious as we go along!And I promise, Gaku won't be a jerk for that much longer! Just give the boy some time, he'll accept Riku soon enough! ^^ Also, if it was a bit unclear, I'll just be going over where they all sleep real quick! Nagi and Riku share a room on the second floor, and so do Yamato, Mitsuki and Sougo. Iori shares a room with Tamaki on the first floor, and so do Gaku and Ryuu. Tenn used to share with Nagi, and Riku took his place. There we go! Just wanted to ensure that everyone was on the same page! <3  
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll be back on Saturday with the next chapter! Thanks also for leaving kudos and comments, they make me super happy and motivated! <3<3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Riku's initiation. He goes up to the attic, what will he find? And will everything go according to plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter, and it's now time for Riku to go up into the attic! I hope you're excited! ^^ Please enjoy this chapter, and if you have any questions or want to talk to me, please contact me using my twitter: @EFagerhag

“So, tell me again just how you managed to get the key without getting in trouble, despite the fact that Tsukumo saw you?” Iori asked. He had joined Riku and Nagi up to their room after dinner and the three were currently sat on Riku’s bed, talking about what had transpired at lunch that same day.

“Like I said,” Riku started. “He didn’t actually see me take the key, he saw me laying on the floor in his office. And I’m guessing we got away because of Tsukumo’s soft spot for his raven.” He continued to explain. “Do you still have it?” Nagi asked curiously. Riku nodded and pulled the key out of the front pocket of his pants. “Of course I do, I still need it after all.” 

Iori frowned. “You know, you still have a chance to back out. If Tsukumo finds out you have his key you’re out of here in an instant, you don’t have to give him any more reason to kick you out.” He said. Riku smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you for worrying, but I feel like I do have to. I already got the key, so I’d just feel like such a loser if I backed out!” Riku exclaimed. 

“You’re not a loser for trying to avoid getting kicked out of school. It’s just peer pressure.” Iori said persistently. Riku sighed. “I know. But I got myself into this mess, so now I’m just going to have to do it. I had so many chances to back out, but now that I already have the key I feel like I just have to.” He explained. 

Nagi placed a hand on his shoulder. “But you’d rather not do it?” He asked. “Of course I’d rather not do it! Looking through dusty, forbidden attics in old houses isn’t exactly a hobby of mine! And neither is getting expelled.” He said. “Well,” Iori started and stood up. “You can still change your mind, and while I can’t speak for everyone, I won’t think any less of you if you decide not to go through with it.” He said. 

Riku smiled up at him. “Thank you, Iori.” He said. Iori nodded and then he headed out of the room, presumably to go back to his own. Nagi patted Riku’s back and gave him a reassuring smile before walking over to the other side of the room, grabbing his computer and laying down in his bed. Riku assumed he was going to watch some anime, which he had soon learned Nagi loved to do. 

Riku himself also lay down in his own bed. He grabbed a history book and tried to do some studying. By the time Tsukumo yelled out that it was ten o’clock and that everyone would have to be in their rooms from now, Riku had probably re-read the same page over and over again due to his lack of concentration. 

Riku sighed and put the book and his reading glasses away on the nightstand. He made sure to set an alarm for half past eleven so that he wouldn’t miss tonight’s big event. Then he tried to go to sleep in hopes of getting some semblance of rest that night, seeing as it might be his last in that house if he was discovered, 

Riku was startled awake by the alarm he’d set earlier, and as soon as he registered what was going on he quickly turned it off so as to not alert Tsukumo. Riku sat up and rubbed his eyes, right now he wanted nothing more than to just curl back into his bed and forget about what was about to happen. But he knew he couldn’t do that, or else he’d fall back asleep and miss the whole thing. 

That was when the door to the room opened, startling Riku who was almost certain it had been Tsukumo coming to check what the noise was. When Riku saw it was just Nagi, he was relieved. Riku hadn’t even noticed that Nagi’s bed was empty, but when he saw the older boy holding a cup of tea, he understood where he’d been. 

“Here.” Nagi said as he handed Riku the mug. “It’ll wake you up a bit, and hopefully calm your nerves.” He said. Riku nodded and thanked him, he really appreciated that small gesture. After having finished his tea, Riku put the cup aside, put on some slippers and his glasses. As he stood up Riku realized it was a bit chilly, and it was not likely to be any warmer up on the attic, so he walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a cardigan that he threw on over his pajamas. 

“You sure you’re up for this?” Nagi asked in concern from where he stood by the door. Riku shrugged. “No, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He said. Riku noticed his hair falling into his eyes, so before they left, he just grabbed something to put it up with real quick. Then he and Nagi were out the door. 

Turns out everyone was already waiting out in the hallway. Yamato, Sougo and Tamaki stood on one side while Iori and Mitsuki stood on the other, and Gaku and Ryuu were right by the door that led to the attic. Riku gulped and slowly started making his way toward the door. 

On his way there, however, Iori grabbed ahold of his arm, making Riku turn to look at him in confusion. “I know I’ve said this a lot, but you really don’t have to do this. You can still say no.” He said in concern. “Yeah, this is your last chance to chicken out!” Gaku exclaimed quietly. 

Riku twitched, but he didn’t let his gaze drift away from Iori’s. Something about the other boy comforted Riku. “I won’t chicken out.” He said determinedly. Iori nodded, but Riku could still see that his classmate would rather Riku do the opposite. Riku then took a deep breath, gave Iori one last smile and then walked over to the door where Gaku and Ryuu stood. 

“The key?” Gaku asked. Riku pulled the key out from his pocket and presented it to Gaku, who nodded, a pleased expression on his face. “I just have to go up there, pick up a random object and then come back, right?” Riku asked. Gaku nodded. “That’s right, if you’re efficient, you’ll be back down in a minute.” He said. 

“Okay.” Riku said, agreeing to do this for one last time. “Here.” Ryuu said, making Riku turn to him. Riku could see Ryuu holding something out for him, it was a flashlight. “This might come in handy.” Ryuu explained. Riku smiled graciously. “Thank you.” He answered before turning back to the door. 

Riku exhaled and gripped the key harder as he inserted it into the lock and then slowly started turning it. Everyone held their breaths as he did this. He turned it once, nothing, but after he turned it a second time they all heard the familiar click of a door unlocking. 

Riku gulped and let go of the key, leaving it in the keyhole, in favor of grabbing the handle. Riku pressed down and the door slowly opened without any problems. Riku winced at the squeaking and creaking the door did as it opened. Then, what was in front of Riku was nothing but a dust-filled darkness and a staircase leading up. 

“Well, here I go.” Riku whispered as he took a step inside. He decided not to close the door in order to let in some more light. Riku tried covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve in order to try and not inhale loads of dust with every breath, since doing so would definitely set off his condition. 

However, just as Riku was about to head up the stairs to the attic something went wrong. Riku was so focused on going up that he didn’t really look at what was on the ground by his feet. Riku realized too late that his foot made contact with something metallic. There was a loud clanging sound as Riku kicked over the bucket that stood at the bottom of the stairs. 

Everyone froze, and that’s when they heard it. “Who is making noise this late at night?!” Tsukumo yelled from his office. The last thing Riku saw was the others’ panicked faces before someone closed the door to try and prevent Tsukumo from noticing. That, and then they had apparently also locked it, as Riku heard the familiar click just after everything had turned black. 

The moment they all heard Tsukumo calling out, everyone froze. Iori could see how everyone’s expressions changed from ones of worry or intrigue to ones of panic and fear. Gaku was the first one to snap out of whatever stupor they were all in for a few seconds. The moment they heard footsteps coming their way, Gaku hurried to close and lock the door to the attic. 

“What are you doing? You’re locking him in there!” Iori whispered, finally snapping out of the stupor himself. “If the door was open, Tsukumo would know we’ve been there! Hopefully he won’t notice anything with this.” Gaku whispered back. Still, Iori couldn’t help but worry about Riku, who was now locked away all alone in the attic of the house. 

That was when Tsukumo came up to them and stopped, staring all of them down. Iori could, out of the corner of his eye, see Gaku sneakily putting the key away into his pocket. He just hoped that Tsukumo hadn’t seen it. 

Tsukumo glared all of them down, clearly not happy to see so many out of bed at this time of night. “What is the meaning of this? Why are you not in your rooms?” He asked loudly and sternly. Iori could see everyone trying their hardest to come up with an excuse, but it seemed like none of them could do it. Iori sighed and took it upon himself. 

“We saw a mouse.” He said. Tsukumo turned to him with a questioning look. “A mouse, you say?” He asked suspiciously. Iori nodded and tried to look as certain as possible, even though his heart was beating faster than ever in his chest. “Yeah, in the kitchen. Yotsuba-san went for a midnight snack and saw it. He woke me, and I in turn woke Yaotome-san and Tsunashi-san so that we could check it out together.” He explained. 

Tsukumo did not look impressed. “If you saw the mouse in the kitchen, why are you all up here?” He asked, looking more irritated by the second. “You didn’t let me finish explaining.” Iori said. “Then explain!” Tsukumo yelled angrily, making Iori flinch. Iori looked around at the others, he could see from their expressions that they were trusting him to get them out of this situation. 

“Well, you see, we saw the mouse again, but it ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, so we followed it. But when we came to this part of the house, we lost it. So, we thought we’d check if it had run into one of the bedrooms. Of course, that woke the others up, and we also didn’t find the mouse. Then, just now, Yotsuba-san thought he saw it again in the hallway, so we all rushed to try and see it.” Iori finished explaining. 

Tsukumo raised an eyebrow. “And did you find it?” He asked them. Iori shook his head. “No, Sir, we must have lost it.” He said. Tsukumo frowned. “And the sound? What was that loud noise just now?” He questioned. This time, it was Nagi who replied. “Oh, that was me! When I rushed out of my bedroom, I accidentally knocked over a few things in my hurry to get out here.” He said. 

Tsukumo stayed silent for a while after that, staring at all of them all the while, almost as if he was trying to get one of them to crack. “And Nanase Riku? Did he sleep through all of this?” He asked. Iori gulped, he hadn’t thought of an excuse for why Riku wasn’t there when everyone else was. 

Luckily, his brother seemed to have an idea. “I think he went to the bathroom.” Mitsuki said. Tsukumo just huffed but finally seemed to accept their excuse. “Fine, you’re all free to go for tonight.” He said and Iori cheered internally as it seemed like they had gotten away with it. He could see the relief on the others’ faces as well. 

“But,” Tsukumo started, making them all tense. “You are to go straight back to your rooms right this instant. And no more midnight snacks!” He said angrily, directing that last part at Tamaki, who flinched as a reaction. “Yes!” All of them responded, but nobody moved. Tsukumo started looking annoyed again. “Now!” He yelled, which got them all to start moving. 

Iori, however, hesitated for a minute. He didn’t want to leave Riku in the attic, but he knew that with Tsukumo standing around he couldn’t do anything to help. “You too, Izumi Iori!” Tsukumo said. It seemed as if Iori had stopped a moment too long. The raven-haired boy nodded and then reluctantly left to go back to his own room. 

However, he didn’t get far before he heard Tsukumo starting to fiddle around with his own keys, presumably looking for the one to the attic. Now, Tsukumo had two keys everywhere, one that was always on his body, and one spare. Riku had taken the spare, so they weren’t really in danger of being found out because of Tsukumo looking through his keys. But if he went up on the attic… 

Iori just prayed that Riku had managed to find some place to hide and wouldn’t be caught red handed. Iori decided to wait up until he knew what had happened, and if Tsukumo didn’t find Riku in the attic, Iori would go back upstairs and make sure the other boy got out okay. But for now, he’d better get back downstairs before Tsukumo saw him lingering again. 

The moment the door closed and locked, Riku panicked. He could feel his breathing getting shallower by the second. That was when he remembered about the flashlight that Ryuu had given to him before entering the attic. Riku quickly turned it on and instantly calmed down now that he could at least see his surroundings. 

He was about to go over to the door and try to open it, to see if it was really locked or if he had just misheard. Hopefully he could get out and join the others again. But Riku stopped in his tracks once he heard a voice. A voice that undoubtedly belonged to Tsukumo. And he sounded very angry. 

Riku gulped. He couldn’t leave now, or else Tsukumo would find out about him going into the attic. He had no choice but to trust the others to explain the situation. Hopefully, their own desire to stay out of trouble would triumph over their desire to be rid of him. Or more like Gaku’s desire to be rid of him. 

Furthermore, Riku decided that he should keep going, and he had two reasons for this. One, he still hadn’t finished what Gaku had told him to do, he still had to bring something back. And two, if Tsukumo decided to check the attic out, Riku couldn’t stay in the staircase, he’d be like a deer in the headlights. 

Having made up his mind, Riku walked up the stairs and opened the door at the top, thus stepping out into a completely new room. The room was shaped like a hexagon and all the walls were just a simple brown. There was a light switch, but Riku didn’t dare turn it on, since it would alert Tsukumo if he came up there. So, Riku would have to make do with the flashlight. 

All of the walls were lined with things, everything from cardboard boxes, pieces of furniture or just random items strewn around. There were also various piles in the center of the room, creating a maze-like path between all the debris. Everything was also covered in a rich layer of dust, making Riku think two things, first, that Tsukumo probably didn’t come up here very often, and second, that Riku probably shouldn’t stay there very long, especially since he had forgotten his inhaler downstairs in his bedroom. 

Riku shook his head, now was not a good time to think about his missing inhaler, it would just agitate him more. And so, without further ado, Riku started looking around the attic, trying not to touch too much so that he wouldn’t make it obvious that anyone had been there. He also picked up a few smaller objects to decide which one to bring back down with him, as a part of his ‘initiation’. 

Riku had no idea what half of the things he saw up there were, they were almost certainly really old. Riku guessed most of the things up there were things that belonged to the previous owners, things that had been put away when the house was donated to the school by the Watanabe couple’s daughter all those years ago. 

Riku frowned, he couldn’t see anything in particular that looked out of place, and thus wasn’t sure why the students weren’t allowed up there. Maybe it was just a question of preservation and safety, making sure nothing broke or that no one got hurt. 

Riku sighed, there were probably hundreds of hiding spots in the room, but Riku couldn’t decide on a single one. And he had a really bad feeling that he was running out of time. That was when he noticed something odd. When he looked down, Riku saw a dim, red light shining through his pajama shirt. 

At first it freaked him out, thinking that something was wrong with him or that maybe he had accidentally activated something that was shining a light at him. However, that was when he was reminded of a weight around his neck and quickly pulled out the locket that Sara had given to him earlier that week. 

Riku stared in awe as the red gem in the middle of the eye-shaped locket shone with a soothing, dim light. It had never done that before. However, Riku didn’t get much time to contemplate it as he heard the door downstairs unlock and open, followed by someone coming up the stairs. “Shit.” He whispered. It had to be Tsukumo. 

In a panic, Riku sprinted towards a pile by the wall, thinking he could take cover behind it if he didn’t find any other place to hide. But on his way there, Riku’s foot got caught on something. He stumbled and for a second it was as if his entire world came to a halt. Then he braced his hands, one of which was still holding onto the glowing locket, against the wall in front of him, which in turn magically disappeared. 

Riku didn’t have much time to think about it, because in the next second, the wall turned back to normal. However, Riku was now on the other side of it. Riku had somehow managed to find a hidden room. The room was completely dark since the locket had stopped glowing for now and Riku had turned off the flashlight in fear of being discovered. 

That’s when Riku heard the door open and someone, presumably Tsukumo, stepping into the attic. Riku held his breath and closed his eyes while hoping for the best. He could hear someone moving things around out there, and for a minute that was all it was. Then he heard someone grunt, followed by some words. “I guess the brats weren’t lying after all…” The person on the other side said. Riku could tell that it had indeed been Tsukumo. 

A minute later, Riku could hear Tsukumo exit the room and starting his descent back down the stairs. It was first once Riku heard the downstairs door close that he let out the breath he was holding and stood up on shaking legs. He turned on the flashlight and pointed it at the wall that had moved. Right now he just wanted to get out of there and back into his bed. He’d had enough of a fright for one night. 

Riku frowned when he couldn’t find a door. He tried pushing and pulling on the wall but nothing happened. At this point, Riku was a bit afraid that he wouldn’t even get out of the hidden room, much less the attic. That was when he saw something. On the wall on the right side of his head, there was a small indenture in the wall. Inside it, there was a shape that he recognized. It looked like his locket. 

He pulled it out, and as he brought it closer to the indenture, the gem started glowing once more. Riku gasped, that must have been why it started glowing before. There must have been a similar indenture on the other side of the wall that Riku had gotten close to in order to make it activate. 

Riku carefully brought the locket up and placed it in the indenture, and as he did, the wall moved to reveal the rest of the attic. Riku smiled, he must have accidentally placed the locket in the indenture when he fell earlier, thus triggering the secret door. Riku was about to head out when he turned around, but as he did, he was met with a pair of big, empty eyes. 

Riku quickly turned around and ran out of the room, not wanting to know what he had seen. At least not right now. He vaguely registered the sound of the door to the hidden room closing on its own again as he headed down the stairs. At this point, Riku didn’t even think of the possibility that Tsukumo was waiting on the other side, he just wanted out. 

When Riku pulled the handle down he cursed once he found that it was locked. Tsukumo must have locked it as he left. The key was either with one of the other guys, back with Tsukumo or in the hallway on the other side of the door. The problem is, Riku needed it on his side of the door. 

Riku sighed, but then he remembered what the last thing he’d done before heading out with Nagi to meet the others was. He hesitated for a second, but he really didn’t have much of a choice, he had to at least try. “Well, it works in the films.” He said and got to work. 

Iori sighed in relief as he managed to make it past Tsukumo’s office without being noticed. It had been a few minutes since Tsukumo came back from the attic, and as far as Iori could tell, he hadn’t had Riku with him, meaning the redhead most likely hadn’t been found. Still, Iori wanted to make sure that was the case, and so he quietly opened the door to Riku and Nagi’s room. 

Iori could see Nagi expectantly looking up as he entered, and then the disappointment on his features as he realized it was only Iori. “Oh, you’re not Riku.” The blond boy said. Iori shook his head. “So, I’m guessing he’s not back then?” He asked. Nagi shook his head sadly. “Then he still has to be in the attic.” Iori said. 

Nagi looked up at him. “Are you sure?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Yeah, Tsukumo already came down from there, and he didn’t have Riku with him.” He explained. Nagi nodded and thought for a while. “Riku left the key in the keyhole, right? Who took it?” Nagi asked. Realization hit Iori like a lightning bolt. “Yaotome-san did!” He exclaimed. 

After that, Nagi and Iori both sneaked down the stairs and headed for Gaku and Ryuu’s room. “What the hell do you want?” Gaku asked as they entered. Iori held out his hand. “The key.” He said. Gaku looked confused. Iori sighed. “I saw you take the key to the attic, I want it. Nanase-san is still up there and I want to get him out.” He explained. 

Gaku frowned. “Well, you can’t have it.” He said. Iori was starting to get really irritated over Gaku’s antics, why did he have to go so far? “Really? Now is not the time for your stupid games! We have to get him out of there!” Iori persisted. 

“Even if I wanted to give it to you, I can’t!" Gaku exclaimed, a bit too loudly perhaps as the entire room grew silent, waiting and listening to see if Tsukumo had heard them. When no one came, Iori turned back to Gaku. “What do you mean?” He asked. “What I mean is…” Gaku started before he pointed to the window. “I threw it out the window. Good luck finding it now.” He said. 

Iori and Nagi both gaped at him in shock. “Why would you do that?” Nagi asked. Gaku shrugged. “I thought Tsukumo was going to do a room search, okay? I didn’t want to get caught with the key to the attic, so I threw it out! I didn’t mean to just leave Nanase up there.” He said. 

“Fine.” Iori said. “We’ll just have to find another way.” He said before leaving the room with Nagi in tow. Once they were once again past Tsukumo and in the second-floor hallway Nagi grabbed Iori’s arm. “What are you going to do?” He asked in concern. 

“I don’t know…” Iori admitted. “I’ll pick the lock? Or maybe steal the second key from Tsukumo… Or maybe it would be better to just break down the door? Either way, I’m not leaving Nanase-san up there all alone.” Iori said. Nagi was about to argue that all of those options seemed rather bad when the door to the attic opened, seemingly on its own, and then Riku came out, looking flustered. 

Nagi and Iori both stared at the redhead in shock for a while. “Nanase-san?” Iori soon asked. Riku nodded and smiled sheepishly. “Are you okay, Riku?” Nagi then asked. Riku nodded. “Yeah, a bit freaked out, but I’m fine.” He said. “Wait, wait, wait.” Iori said, still really confused. 

Nagi and Riku both turned to look at him with questioning eyes. “How did you manage to get out of there? Wasn’t the door locked?” Iori asked. Riku gave Iori an awkward smile and reached up into his hair, pulling out a bent-out-of-shape bobby pin. Iori stared at it, his mouth hanging open. “I thought it only works in films, but turns out I could do it too! Granted, the lock to the attic is probably as old as the house, but still.” Riku said happily. 

Iori chuckled and smiled in adoration at that. “Oh god, you’re magnificent.” He said. Riku’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed at that, making Nagi giggle at the scene in front of him. Iori soon realized what he’d said and flushed just as bright as Riku. “Uhm, I mean, I’m glad you’re safe…” He said. Riku smiled and nodded in thanks. 

“Well…” Iori started after another awkward minute. “I think I’d better get back to my own room now. See you guys tomorrow.” He said and walked off. Nagi said a ‘Good night’ and then headed off into his and Riku’s room. But before Iori left, he heard Riku call out to him. “Be careful when passing by Tsukumo’s office.” He said, making Iori smile to himself. Iori was starting to feel like Riku would be a very interesting addition to the House of Anubis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! First trip to the attic, complete! But will it be the last? Stay tuned to find out... I'll be back again on Wednesday with the next chapter, so I hope you're all looking forward to that! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter ^^ And thank you to everyone who leaves kudo, comments or supports me in any other way, love you guys! <3<3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku passed his initiation, but he realizes that he has to go back up to the attic. Will he go alone once more or get some company?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter, and I'm excited about this one because we really get to start with the mystery this time! I mean, we sort of started already, but this is where it PROPERLY starts! I hope you will all like it! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can reach me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next morning came, and it was unexpectedly uneventful. In fact, it was just like any other morning so far in the Anubis House. Riku had been woken by his alarm, gone to the bathroom and then chatted with Nagi as they both got ready before heading down to meet the others in the dining room for breakfast. Riku wasn’t sure what he had expected, maybe for something to happen, or maybe to just feel different? But it was nothing.

When they got down, Riku and Nagi were surprised to see that they were the last ones to get there, even Yamato and Tamaki had managed to get out of bed. Everyone, except for maybe Iori and Gaku, looked relieved upon seeing Riku. Iori had a knowing smile, since he already knew Riku was okay, and Gaku just looked annoyed. 

As soon as they sat down, everyone started bombarding Riku with question after question. They asked if he was okay, what he had seen up in the attic and how he’d managed to get out. Riku tried his best to answer all the questions thrown his way. Once it had calmed down a bit, Nagi patted Riku’s back and smile. “Well, I think it’s clear that Riku passed the initiation with flying colors!” He exclaimed. 

The others all agreed, at least until Gaku opened his mouth. “Actually, he didn’t pass.” He said, making everyone turn to him. “What? How did he not pass? He was in there for way longer than he needed to be, he hid from Tsukumo and he picked the lock to get out on his own after you threw the key out!” Iori argued. 

Gaku shrugged. “But he didn’t bring anything back, did he? The instructions were simple, enter and bring something back. That he had to hide and pick the lock were never part of the initiation, so it doesn’t matter.” He explained. Riku could see that Iori was about to keep arguing, so before they could turn the dining table into a battleground, Riku decided to interrupt them. 

“Actually,” He started, making everyone turn to him as he reached for his bag on the ground and pulled out a small book that was practically falling apart and had spiderweb almost infused into the pages. Riku gave the book to Gaku. “Here you go, do whatever you want with it.” He said with a smile. 

Gaku took the book and forced a smile onto his face. “Guess you did pass then, my bad.” He said, but everyone could see that he didn’t mean it. It was silent again for a while, no one really knew where to go from there. That’s when Ryuu’s phone went off, revealing a text message from one of his brothers. 

“Oops, sorry, I’ll put it on silent.” Ryuu said one he’d answered the message. Then it seemed as if a lightbulb appeared above his head and he quickly turned to Gaku. “That reminds me, have you heard anything from Tenn yet? His things should have probably arrived by now.” Ryuu said. 

Gaku frowned and shook his head. “Nope, not a word. I’ve texted and called, but he hasn’t even read my texts yet. I’m hoping they just haven’t arrived yet, but I feel like there’s something more to it.” He explained. “You know, I’d normally let you rant about you conspiracies, but are you sure you’re not just overthinking it this time?” Yamato asked before taking another sip of his coffee. 

“I don’t know what to think anymore. I just want things to go back to normal.” Gaku said. Riku almost felt bad then, despite the way Gaku had acted towards him. “Maybe I’m just making things worse, but I don’t think what you’re saying is that farfetched.” Riku said, making Gaku and everyone else stare at him in disbelief. 

“What?” Gaku asked. Riku cleared his throat as his cheeks flushed pink from everyone’s attention. “The thing that I find weird about it is that he came back, was here for a day and a half and then left. It feels like, if he was just going to leave anyway, he might as well not have come back for the new term at all. Since it happened so suddenly, it couldn’t have been planned. Something unexpected most likely happened that made him leave.” Riku suggested. 

Gaku blinked at him, making Riku feel even more self-conscious than before, as if he had said something bad. Riku had thought quite a lot about Tenn leaving, though he wasn’t ready to tell Gaku and the rest about his connection to Tenn yet. “That is the best thing you have said since you got here. He’s right! If Tenn leaving was something planned, he wouldn’t have come back for the second term at all.” Gaku said, surprising Riku. 

“Okay, you’re probably right, but there’s still nothing you can do about it.” Ryuu said. Gaku ignored him and stood up abruptly. “Yes there is! I’m going to go ask my dad about it!” He said before rushing off. Ryuu sighed. “I should go make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid once his dad inevitably doesn’t give him any answers.” He said. “Good luck!” Yamato called out after him once he left. "He'll need it." He then added once Gaku and Ryuu had both left the house. 

Riku leaned over and poked Iori’s arm, gaining the raven-haired boy’s attention. “Should I not have said that?” He asked worriedly. Iori shrugged. “Well, we’ll all probably have to live with Yaotome-san complaining about his dad for the rest of the day thanks to you, but it wasn’t all bad. He didn’t curse your existence for once.” He said with a smile. 

Riku smiled back. “Right. Thanks.” He said before going back to eating, soon finishing the last of his breakfast. Once he was done, Riku excused himself and walked back up to his room. As soon as he was by himself, Riku pulled out the locket and studied it. It really was a curious thing, this locket. 

This locket opened a secret door in the attic of the House of Anubis. The lady who gave it to him, Sara, claimed to have lived here a long time ago and that there was a treasure hidden somewhere in the house, a treasure that Riku supposedly had to find. Riku had to admit that the locket’s connection to the house made him curious if maybe what Sara had said had been true after all. 

Riku sighed, even with the weird things that had happened, to believe that there was a treasure hidden in his boarding house was still a difficult concept to grasp. Even when his gut told him it was true. Though if Riku was completely honest, he was too curious about it to let it go, he wanted to look into it further, even if it all turned out to be a scam. 

As Riku heard the door to the room open, he quickly tucked the locket back under his shirt and stood up, greeting Nagi as he did. Sara had warned him not to trust anyone with the secret, but if there really was a treasure, if there really was something ‘evil’ in this house, could Riku really do it alone? One thing was certain, Riku would have to go back up to the attic. 

The day passed by in a blur and now, at around five in the afternoon, Riku was walking back toward the house. He had been to the retirement home to visit Sara again, in the hopes of getting some answers. However, she had been very tried and confused that afternoon, sleeping almost all through the visit and discussing tea and doilies while she wasn’t. 

Riku sighed, Sara was the only person he could ask about the possible treasure hidden in the house, and she wasn’t exactly in her right mind most of the time. Maybe the whole thing about the treasure had just been the ramblings of an old and confused woman. Riku shook his head, he had already made up his mind to believe her for now. 

“Nanase-san!” Riku stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to see Iori coming towards him from the school. Riku smiled and waved to the other boy, waiting for him to catch up. “Iori! Hello, are you on your way back to the house?” Riku asked. 

Iori nodded. “Yeah, I was studying in the library. What about you? You didn’t come from the direction of the school, so where have you been?” He then asked. Riku pointed down the road, even though you couldn’t see the retirement home from where they stood, Riku still knew the general direction it was in. “I went to visit the old lady I met outside our house the other day. We had tea and biscuits!” He answered cheerfully. 

Iori smiled a small but genuine smile. Riku found he liked the look of that smile a lot, it really suited the other boy. “That was nice of you. Do you mind if I walk back with you?” Iori asked as he started walking in the direction of the house. Riku shook his head as he caught up with him. “Not at all! We’re both going to the same place anyway.” He answered happily. 

The two boys walked back, keeping up a simple conversation about their respective days on the way. If Riku was being honest, Iori was probably the one in the house he got along with the best. The other boy had been one of the people who was kind to him since the start, and they got to spend quite a lot of time together, being classmates and all. 

Once they got to the house, Iori reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s wrist, motioning for him to follow. Riku raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Come on, I need to check something real quick.” Iori said. Riku nodded, not sure why he had to come along, but he supposed he didn’t really have anything better to do for the time being. And he really wouldn’t mind spending more time with Iori as well. 

Iori led Riku around to the back of the house before letting go of Riku’s wrist. Iori pointed at one of the windows, and then practically threw himself at the ground beneath it, rummaging through the bushes and flower arrangements on the ground there. Riku stared at Iori in confusion for a good minute. “Uhm, what on earth are you doing?” He asked. 

Iori grunted and kept lifting leaves and looking underneath. “Just a second, it has to be here somewhere.” Iori said before turning to Riku. “Could you keep watch? Just in case Tsukumo or Tsumugi comes, I don’t think either would be very happy to see me rummaging through their garden.” Iori said. Riku nodded. “Sure, I guess.” He said, still not sure why Iori was doing this, but he decided to just go with it. 

“Aha!” Iori exclaimed about five minutes later before standing up with a proud look on his face. “Okay, I take it you found whatever you were looking for then?” Riku asked while grinning at Iori. Iori nodded and presented a very familiar key to Riku with a smile. “I think this needs to find its way back into Tsukumo’s office before he notices that it’s gone.” Iori said. 

“Actually…” Riku started as he eyed the key, then Iori and finally the key once more. “Think I could have it?” He asked. Iori looked a bit taken aback at that. “For me or for Tsukumo? Because I don’t really mind, but Tsukumo would definitely not want you to have it. Why do you want it anyway?” Iori asked. 

Riku smiled sheepishly. “I’ll sort of need it when I go back up to the attic.” He said. Iori’s eyes widened. “You’re going back? Up there? Why would you do that?” He asked in disbelief. “I just…” Riku started, but he had no idea how to explain it to Iori without telling him about Sara, the locket and the treasure. And Riku still wasn’t sure whether it was best to take Sara’s advice and not trust anyone else with the secret or not. 

Riku sighed. “I saw something up there, and I want to find out what it was.” He started. “I just can’t get it out of my head! I’m just going to take a quick peek and then leave!” He then added. It was sort of a true, but also sort of a lie. He had seen something up there that he wanted to take a closer look at, but he was probably not going to settle for a ‘quick peek’. 

“I promise to return the key to Tsukumo’s office once I’m done, so please?” Riku then asked, giving Iori his best puppy dog eyes. He could see Iori blinking, overweighing whether he should give the key to Riku or not. Then he sighed. “Fine, you can have it. And I won’t say anything to anyone.” Iori said and held out the key. 

Riku smiled brightly at Iori. “Thank you, Iori! You’re the best!” He said as he reached out to take the key, however, just before he could take it, Iori pulled it back again. Riku frowned and was about to ask Iori what he was doing, but Iori beat him to it. “I’ll give it to you on one condition.” He said. 

Riku was a bit taken aback. What could Iori want from him? “Yeah?” Riku asked suspiciously. “I’m coming with you.” Iori said. Riku’s eyes widened in shock. “You want to come with me to the attic?” Riku asked in disbelief. Iori nodded. “You shouldn’t go alone, if there’s two of us we can look out for each other.” He said. 

Riku sighed, he was happy Iori wanted to help him out, but he still didn’t know whether he wanted someone else’s help yet or not. “You don’t want me to come?” Iori asked after a minute of silence. Riku looked up at him alarmed. “No! That’s not what I meant! I am really happy that you want to come with me! And I’d rather not be up there alone honestly. I just…” Riku started but then trailed off. _‘I just don’t know if I should tell you about the locket and the treasure yet.’_ He finished in his head. 

Riku sighed. “You know what, I’d love to have some company. Meet me in the hallway outside the attic once everyone’s asleep?” He then suggested. Iori seemed trustworthy? Riku could probably trust him with this, right? And if he changed his mind before tonight, he could just pretend to check something else out and then come back alone some other time. 

Iori smiled. “Then we have a deal.” He said and Riku nodded. Iori then handed the key to the attic to Riku, who put it in his bag before the two headed back into the house. 

This time, Riku didn’t even bother to go to sleep before leaving, instead he just waited for Nagi to fall asleep, and once he was sure that he had, Riku opened the door to their bedroom slightly and listened. Listened for someone to come. Listened for Iori’s footsteps in the hallway. 

The clock on his phone showed 23:17 when he finally heard the footsteps outside his door. Riku hurriedly sat up and grabbed the bag he’d put on the floor by the bed earlier. In it he had two flashlights, a bottle of water, his inhaler, a notepad and a pen. He also put his phone in there and grabbed the key to the attic from his bedside drawer. The last thing Riku did before leaving the room was check the chain around his neck, making sure he had the locket. 

As quietly as possible he walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him, then he turned around and faced Iori. “You ready?” Riku asked in a whisper. “Ready to break the rules? To do something that could get me expelled? Sure, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Iori responded. 

Riku chuckled. “You know, using your words from last night, you can still back out if you want to. It’s not too late to change your mind.” He said. He had meant it as a joke though, he didn’t actually want Iori to leave. Riku had even made up his mind to tell him about Sara and the locket. 

Iori stopped and looked at Riku, his eyes brimming with determination. “I won’t back out. I’m coming with you.” He said. Riku nodded. “Thank you.” He said and smiled. Together, they walked over to the door, Riku got the key out and unlocked and opened it. “After you.” He said to Iori, who seemed to hesitate for a second but then walked inside. Riku followed him, after which he closed and locked the door behind them. 

Riku put the key away and pulled out the two flashlights, turned one on and handed the other to Iori. “Thanks.” Iori said, and then the two boys headed up the stairs. Once inside the attic, Riku watched as Iori looked around with the same wonder as Riku had the previous night. “There’s so much stuff up here.” He said. 

Riku nodded, he had already covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, since they might be up there for a while. Iori turned to look at him then and frowned at what he saw. “Are you okay? What are you doing?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just have asthma so I’m trying to inhale as little dust as possible so that I don’t get an attack and pass out.” He explained. 

Iori’s expression turned to one of worry as he moved the flashlight so that it was now pointing directly at Riku. “You’re asthmatic? And you still wanted to come back to this dusty place? Are you mad?” Iori asked. Riku shook his head. “I’ll be fine! I brought my inhaler and some water so I’m sure it’ll be okay. And get that light out of my face already, will you? You’re making me go blind!” Riku exclaimed. 

Iori removed the light at once, but he still looked concerned. “Fine, but tell me if you start to feel bad, I’ll help you back down.” He said. Riku reluctantly nodded. Iori sighed but was pleased enough with that reaction. “So,” Iori started. “What was it that you needed to check out so bad?” He asked. 

Riku hesitated for a second but decided that if he was going to do this, if he was going to believe Sara, he needed some help. “Okay, so it’s a bit complicated, but can you just listen to me for a while?” He asked. Iori raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Okay, here goes nothing.” Riku started before he met Iori’s gaze, his own eyes determined. “I’m looking for a treasure hidden somewhere in this house because a confused old woman told me to.” He said. 

Iori blinked at him, as if he couldn’t quite understand what he’d just been told. “A treasure?” He asked. Riku nodded. “In the House of Anubis?” Iori asked. Riku nodded again. “Yeah, you’re going to have to explain that in a bit more detail.” Iori then said before running a hand through his own hair. Riku nodded and walked closer to Iori. 

“Do you remember that old lady I helped back to the retirement home the other day?” Riku asked, and Iori nodded. “Well, her name is Sara, or at least she says so, the caretakers at the home told me her name was Emi. Sara claims she used to live here, in Anubis House, and she also told me that a treasure was hidden in this house. A treasure that she asked me to find and protect.” Riku explained. 

“She gave me this.” Riku continued and pulled out the locket and handed it to Iori who started inspecting it, inside and outside. “But she told me not to show it to anyone, not to trust anyone, so I’m already going against her wishes by telling you all of this. She said there was some evil in this house and that I had to watch out. That I had to beware the black bird.” He explained. 

Iori reacted at that. “The black bird? You don’t think she means Corbierre, do you?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’ve been having nightmares of that bird ever since, it really freaked me out.” He said. Iori gave him a sympathetic smile. “Okay, so you think that what this Sara person told you is true? That there really is a treasure here in the house?” He asked. 

Riku nodded, albeit hesitantly. “I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what my gut is telling me. I want to believe her.” He explained. Riku could see Iori was hesitant, and he didn’t blame him. The whole treasure business was a lot to take in. “There is one more thing.” Riku said. Iori turned to him. “What more is there?” He asked. 

Riku took back the locket from Iori and walked over to the wall that he’d opened up last night. “Yesterday, when I was up here, my locket started glowing, like this.” He said and showed Iori once he got close enough to the wall. Iori walked over to him and looked at the locket in amazement. “Woah, how is it doing that? Did you press a button or something?” He asked. 

Riku shook his head and then pointed to the small indenture in the wall. “Look at this, it’s shaped just like my locket.” He said. Iori leaned closer and saw that it was indeed shaped like the locket. Riku continued. “When I heard Tsukumo come up the stairs I panicked and fell over, accidentally putting the locket in the indenture, and…” Riku showed just what happened when he did. 

The wall slid open and Iori and Riku stared into the hidden room on the other side. “The locket the old lady gave you opens a hidden room in the attic of the house.” Iori stated. Riku nodded. “That’s why I think she might have spoken some truth. Why else would she have this? She has to have some connection to this place!” Riku said. 

Iori nodded. “Okay, I admit that it’s kind of freaky, and it does sort of make me want to look into it.” He said. “Right?” Riku asked with a grin. “Will you help me look for treasure, Izumi Iori?” Riku asked seriously. Iori turned to him, that small, genuine smile on his face once more. “Only if you’ll have me, Nanase Riku.” He said. 

Riku laughed, and even Iori let out a chuckle. “I guess we’re in this together now, eh?” Iori asked. Riku nodded, but then turned serious. “You can’t say anything to anyone though! Not even your brother! It must remain a secret between the two of us.” He said. Iori nodded. “Yeah, I get that. I promise.” He said and Riku smiled graciously up at him. 

“So,” Iori said. “The hidden room is the thing you wanted to check out more closely, right? That’s why you’re back here?” He asked. “Yep, after Tsukumo left last night, I just wanted to get out of here. And besides, I could have sworn I saw someone staring at me from inside here, it freaked me out.” Riku explained. 

Iori smiled like he was amused. Riku didn’t get it at first, but when Iori stepped into the hidden room and pulled out a painting, Riku understood. “Is this what you saw staring back at you last night?” Iori asked with a smug look on his face. On the painting there was a little girl, it took Riku a few seconds, but he soon realized that he recognized her. 

“Hang on a second.” He said seriously as he pulled the locket out and opened it before holding it up next to the painting. “It’s the same girl.” He said. “You’re right, the girl on the painting and the one in your locket are the same.” Iori exclaimed excitedly. “Who do you think it is?” Riku asked. 

Iori stared at the two pictures for a while, thinking. “Well, the art style looks almost exactly the same as the one used in the picture in the living room. You know, the one of the Watanabe Couple. But this girl is clearly much younger, I’d say seven or eight, so maybe it’s their daughter?” He suggested. 

“You mean the one who donated the House of Anubis to the School?” Riku asked and Iori nodded. “That’s my theory anyways, but I’m not sure if I’m right or not.” He said. “Okay…” Riku started before turning back to the hidden room. “Is there anything else in there?” He asked. “Hang on, let me check.” Iori said as he put down the painting and went back inside. 

“Nope, I can’t see anything other than dust and a really fat spider.” He said. Riku shivered at the thought of the spider, but he didn’t really have time to think about it as he noticed something he hadn’t seen before. “Iori, come back out here!” He exclaimed and Iori soon reemerged. 

Riku pointed at the bottom left corner on the back of the painting. “There’s something written or drawn there!” He said. Iori lifted the painting up and Riku used his flashlight so that they could see it better. And Riku was right, in the corner there were three symbols. The first one looked like a square with a horizontal line through it, the second one looked like a set of stairs and the third was just eight straight lines. 

“What do you suppose it means?” Riku asked as he turned to Iori, who simply shrugged in return. “I have no idea, we’ll have to look into it.” He said. Riku sighed. “So, I guess we won’t find a treasure chest tonight, eh?” He asked jokingly. Iori chuckled. “Did you really think it would be that simple?” 

“Of course not.” Riku said with a smile. “Come on, I think we’re done here for one night, besides, I really shouldn’t be in this dusty room for so long.” He then said. Iori frowned. “Are you going to be okay?” Riku nodded. “Yeah, it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” He explained. 

Iori nodded. “Well, let me just put the painting back in the hidden room and then you can close it before we leave?” Iori suggested. Riku agreed that would be for the best. The two boys finished up, grabbed their things and then headed back downstairs as quietly as they could. 

Once they were back in the hallway of the second floor and the door to the attic was all locked up, they finally relaxed. Riku looked up at Iori shyly. “Uhm, thank you for coming with me tonight. It really does feel better to not be doing all of this alone.” Riku said. Iori smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “It’s nothing, I was the one who forced my way into this anyway.” He said. 

“You know,” Riku started. “I’ll probably get you to break dozens of rules while we do this, is that okay? Aren’t you like some kind of honor student?” He asked jokingly. Iori rolled his eyes. “Yes, I am, but like you said before, we’ll be in this together.” He said. “Yeah.” Riku agreed. “Together.” 

That was when the two boys were startled by a door suddenly opened. They both turned to the source of the sound, panic on their faces, and were met with a tired-looking Nagi. “Oh?” He said. “Iori, Riku, what are the two of you doing here together so late?” He asked. 

“Uhm, we uh…” Riku started and turned to Iori for help. “We were just, uhm…” Iori tried, but he also struggled to think of something to say. That was when Nagi seemed to realize something. “Oh, I see what the situation is!” He exclaimed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mitsuki.” He said and winked at Iori who was very confused. 

“What won’t you tell Nii-san?” He asked worriedly. Nagi beamed. “About your and Riku’s secret date, of course!” He exclaimed happily. Both Iori and Riku flushed a bright shade of red at that implication and turned to look at each other. “W-what are you? That’s not-” Iori started, but Nagi shushed him. “It’s okay, I support you! Ah, secret love is so wonderful!” He said, making the two boys even more flustered. 

In order to not make the situation worse, Iori decided to remove himself. “Well, it’s late and I better get to bed. Good night and see you tomorrow, Nanase-san, Rokuya-san.” He said and started walking away. “Oh, Iori! Aren’t you going to kiss your sweetheart good night?” Nagi asked. “Good night!” Iori exclaimed as he finally walked away, leaving Riku and Nagi alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagi saying what we're all thinking and seeing the love already blossoming between our two boys ^^ Alsom Iori joins the search, yay! I hope you were able to enjoy this chapter, and I'll be back on Saturday with the next one, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading, and for all of the support! Your comments and kudos (and other ways of support as well) really make me super happy! <3<3<3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku continue to work on the riddle and decide to pay a little visit to a certain old lady. Also, Gaku gets a message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! It makes me really happy that you guys seem to be excited now that the mystery is properly starting! Hopefully I can keep it interesting. ;) I hope you like this chapter, and if you have any questions or want to talk, you can contect me using my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Riku had never been more thankful for Sundays in his entire life. Sundays meant nothing to do all day, which in turn meant that he didn’t need to get up early for once. And after last night, he needed the extra hours of sleep. It wasn’t until aroun eleven that Riku dragged himself out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs.

The living room was surprisingly empty when Riku got there, Yamato was napping on one of the couches, Tamaki, who had probably just gotten out of bed, was eating breakfast while Iori was doing homework at the dining table. Riku smiled and walked over, taking a seat beside Iori. “Good morning.” He said cheerfully. 

Iori looked up at Riku and closed the notebook once he realized that the redhead was awake and had joined them. “Hey, you slept for a long time.” He pointed out. Riku rolled his eyes as he started making himself a sandwich. “Well, someone wouldn’t shut up about a secret date I supposedly had last night, keeping me up for almost two hours after we got back.” He said. 

Iori’s cheeks turned slightly pink but he pretended not to notice. “Was Rokuya-san that bad?” He asked. Riku nodded. “I tried to deny it at first, but I had no idea what to tell him otherwise! I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth! So, after a while I just let him ramble on. I didn’t think he’d keep going until two in the morning!” Riku exclaimed with a groan. 

Iori chuckled. “Yeah, he does get pretty… passionate about stuff like that. I just wish he wouldn’t make such a big deal out of it.” He said. Riku smiled shyly. “Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I think Nagi is great! And I’m really happy he’s my roommate! He’s fun, and very kind and smart, but last night I just wanted him to be quiet.” He said and Iori nodded in agreement. 

“Where did he even get the idea that we’d go on a secret date? I mean, I haven’t even been here for a week yet, the idea of us dating is…” Riku started, but then flushed as he realized he was actually imagining it. And he didn’t hate the imagination. Riku cleared his throat then and quickly tried to stop his train of thought- “It’s completely ridiculous.” He finished as he looked away. 

Now, had Riku looked the other way, looked at Iori, he’d have seen the slight disappointment in the others face. “Yeah, us dating? Ridiculous…” Iori agreed, though he found that he didn’t really mean it. Both boys got silent after that, Iori fiddling with his notebook while Riku nibbled on his sandwich. 

Tamaki looked up at the two of them from the other end of the table. He hadn’t listened to their conversation, but he had felt the awkward atmosphere that was now between them. “What’s up with you two?” He asked. “Nothing.” Iori and Riku answered in unison, making Tamaki shrug and go back to eating. “If you say so.” He said. 

“Actually, I was thinking…” Iori said after a while, his voice was barely above a whisper, so Riku assumed it had something to do with the search. “What is it?” Riku asked curiously as he leaned closer so that Iori could be ensured that Riku would hear him. “I want us to visit Sara.” He said. 

Riku looked at him in confusion. “You want to visit Sara?” He asked. Iori nodded, his eyes determined. “She gave you the locket, maybe she’ll know something about the clues.” He said. Riku hesitated but soon leaned even closer to Iori, their faces now mere inches apart. “I don’t know, half of the time she doesn’t make any sense, and when she does talk about the treasure it’s almost as if she’s afraid. I don’t know if I want to tell her I told you. I sort of promised I wouldn’t say anything to anyone.” He explained. 

Iori thought for a second. “Then we don’t have to talk about the treasure. But I still want to meet her, even if we don’t ask her. And if we don’t talk about it with her now, you should go back there alone some time soon. I really think she might be able to help us.” He suggested, eyes still locked with Riku’s. 

Riku thought for a few seconds but soon nodded. “Okay, you’re right. We’ll try to talk to her today, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll go back there by myself some other day.” He said. Iori smiled. “Good, should we go this afternoon then?” He asked. Riku nodded and smiled. “That sounds great.” He answered. 

“Oh my! Planning another date, are we?” Riku and Iori separated faster than ever as they heard the familiar voice calling out to them, only to be met with a grinning and winking Nagi. “That’s not what this is!” The two exclaimed in unison, the awkward atmosphere from before having returned once more. 

“Have you ever been here before?” Riku asked as he and Iori stood outside of the retirement home. Iori shook his head. “Nope, but I’ve only been here one term. Both me and Nii-san only attend high school here, but not junior high. In fact, I think the only ones who attended junior high here at Yaotome Academy were Tsunashi-san, Kujou-san and obviously Yaotome-san, since he's the headmaster's son.” Iori explained. 

“Oh? Where did you go before?” Riku asked curiously, looking up at Iori with an intrigued expression. “The local school in our hometown. Our parents own a small bakery there and they thought leaving for boarding school in junior high is a bit early. But this is our mother’s alma mater, which is why we’re both doing our high school studies here.” Iori said. 

“That’s so cool!” Riku exclaimed. “I applied for the scholarship since it’s such a good school, and then I guess I wanted to get out of the city a bit, it’s sort of better for my asthma, and then…” Riku trailed off at the end as he realized he was about to mention Tenn. Should he tell Iori about Tenn as well? Riku definitely trusted him by now, but he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to open up about his brother. 

“And then?” Iori asked, wondering what other reason Riku might have had. Riku panicked. “And then, uhm, I guess it’s really pretty out here?” He said, trying to laugh it off and hoping Iori wouldn’t notice how nervous he got. “Okay.” Was all Iori said. “Uhm…” Riku started, making Iori look questioningly at him. 

“What was Kujou Tenn like? The boy who lived in the house before me?” Riku asked. Maybe it was cruel to pretend like he didn’t know Tenn, but he wanted to know what image others had of his brother. “Kujou-san? Well, he was quite serious, and he had this image in school, people seemed to look up to him, even though he was only a first year. Despite that, I felt like he was only ever close to Tsunashi-san and Yaotome-san. Despite living with him and being classmates for a term, I don’t feel like I really got to know him.” Iori said. 

“Hmm… So, he was cold to others?” Riku asked. “Not cold exactly, he was polite with others, but it never really seemed genuine to me, like it was something he's been taught all his life but doesn't actually want to live by. As if what he thought and what he said was two completely different things. Most people liked him, both the teachers and the other students.” Iori said. 

“I see… That’s a bit… different from what I imagined.” Riku admitted. It sounded different from what Riku remembered about his brother. Tenn had always taken such good care of him, putting Riku’s needs above his own, but he never seemed conflicted, never upset about it. Riku had loved his brother more than anything, he was like an absolute angel to him. But after five years, Riku supposed something must have changed. 

Riku shook his head. “Anyways, should we get going?” He asked, changing the topic back to the visit to Sara. Iori seemed a bit confused at first but decided to roll with it. “Sure.” He said and then the two entered the retirement home. 

“Ah, Nanase-kun! Back for another visit?” Tomiko, the worker Riku had encountered when first coming here greeted them upon their entry. “Yeah, and I brought a friend today!” Riku answered happily. “I see! Well, I’m sure Emi really appreciates these visits. She hardly ever gets any other visitors.” Tomiko said. 

Iori tugged on Riku’s arm, making the redhead lean closer to Iori. “Emi is Sara, right? You mentioned some confusion over the name.” He said. Riku nodded. “That’s right. According to Tomiko-san and the nameplate on the door to her room, her name is Emi, but she keeps telling me her name is Sara, and that’s the only name she will respond to when I’m trying to talk to her.” Riku explained. 

Tomiko then led the two boys over to the room Riku knew belonged to Sara, and then she knocked on the door. “Emi, you have visitors.” She called out. Riku could hear someone reply, after which Tomiko opened the door and stepped aside. “You two can go ahead and enter, I’ll bring you some tea and cookies in a few minutes.” She said. Iori and Riku thanked her and then entered the room, closing the door behind them. 

“Sara, it’s me, Riku. I brought a friend with me today.” Riku said as he approached the bed with Iori in tow. Sara looked at them both with a smile at first, but then she focused on Riku, and there was like something changed in her, she sat up straighter and the kind and gentle smiled turned serious. “Oh, it’s you. Have you found it yet?” She asked as she reached out for Riku, who grabbed her hands in return. 

“Found what Sara?” He asked. “The treasure, of course.” She said. Riku sat down and Iori stood behind him, looking curiously at the old woman, though it seemed like she was ignoring him. “No, not yet, but-” Riku started but was soon interrupted by Sara. “You won’t let him find it, will you? Promise you won’t let him find it!” She said, sounding panicked. 

Riku shook his head and tried to give her a reassuring smile. “No, of course I won’t. I promise.” Riku said and Sara calmed down once more. Then Riku pulled out the locket, opened it and showed the picture to Sara. “I was wondering if you knew who this is?” Riku said. 

Sara looked up at him with a smile. “Is it you?” She asked. Riku chuckled and shook his head. “No, that’s a picture of a little girl, so it can’t be me.” He explained. Sara looked up at him, but that was when she noticed Iori standing behind Riku. Her expression turned concerned and she started shaking her head. “Wh-who is that?” She asked, sounding as if she was afraid. 

Riku turned around to look at Iori, who had now taken a step closer and then he looked at Sara with a calm and polite smile. “It’s just my friend, his name is Izumi-” Riku started but was interrupted by Sara tugging on the locket. “Quick, hide it! Hide it! You can’t let anyone see it!” She exclaimed. Riku nodded and did as he was told, quickly putting the locket back under his shirt. “See, now it’s gone! It's gone!” He said. 

Sara calmed down after that, her breathing slowed, and she slumped back into her bed. Riku smiled and took her handsinto his own. “Everything is going to be alright Sara.” He then said, trying to reassure her. “Good.” Sara said. “The black bird is watching the house, always watching the house. You have to be careful!” She then said. 

“The black bird?” Riku heard Iori mutter behind him. The redhead turned to look at Iori and a knowing look passed between them. This was the second time Sara had mentioned the black bird, and they both knew the other was thinking of Corbierre when she did. But she had also mentioned that there was a man they had to look out for, someone who couldn’t find the treasure before them. 

This got them thinking, what if the black bird didn’t mean the actual bird but rather the owner of the bird? What if the one they had to look out for was none other than the caretaker of the House of Anubis, Tsukumo Ryou? 

“Ugh, this is going to take forever!” Riku complained as his head dropped into the book in front of him on the table. It was Monday afternoon, and ever since classes ended, he and Iori had been in the library to try and solve the riddle from the back of the painting they’d found in the attic. 

“It definitely will if you keep complaining every other minute.” Iori said. Riku looked up and pouted at the raven-haired boy sat across from him. “It’s just that everything we’ve got to go on are those three symbols, but we have no idea what they mean or even how to read them!” Riku complained. 

Iori sighed. “Which is why we’re in the library, trying to look for information.” Iori said as he turned back to his books. “It has to be some sort of code, or maybe it’s in a different language.” He said. Riku sighed. “Maybe we’re not approaching this in the right way.” Riku then said as he got his laptop out and opened google. 

“What are you doing?” Iori asked. “Googling.” Was all Riku answered. Iori frowned. “What, are you going to search for ‘square, stair and eight lines’? I hate to be the barer of bad news, but I don’t think you’re going to find the answer to this from simple googling.” Iori said. 

Riku rolled his eyes. “I’m not googling for the symbols, okay?” He said. “What then?” Iori asked as he stood up and walked around to the other side of the table in order to join Riku. “Well, I’ve been thinking a lot, and who do you suppose hid the treasure in the house in the first place?” Riku asked. 

“Well,” Iori started, thinking for a while before answering. “I suppose it would have been the Watanabes? Almost everything in the house comes from them.” He answered. Riku nodded. “Right? I thought so too, which is why I wanted to learn a bit more about them.” He said before he typed in ‘Watanabe Ritsu and Watanabe Akiko’. 

A few articles popped up on the screen once Riku hit search and he proceeded to click the first of them. “Hey, look at this!” Riku said and pointed at the screen. Iori in turn leaned over Riku’s shoulder to get a better look. “Japanese archaeologists Watanabe Ritsu and Watanabe Akiko to join Howard Carter’s excavation of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb” Riku read out loud before turning to Iori. “This article was published in the 1920’s.” He said. 

Iori reached over and started scrolling down through the article. “Woah, the couple who used to own the house really excavated THE Tutankhamun’s tomb! That’s so cool.” He said. “That would explain the sarcophagus in the entranceway, as well as some of the artifacts throughout the house. The Watanabes were Egyptologists!” Riku exclaimed. 

Iori nodded with a smile, but soon that turned serious and he pointed at the computer, making Riku turn his attention back to it. “Look at this.” Iori started. “It’s another article from 1922, it says that the Watanabes were believed to have stolen artifacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb and illegally brought them back to Japan! They were found innocent because no such artifacts were ever found in their possession, but only by a majority vote.” Iori explained. 

“No way…” Riku said. “And listen to this.” Iori continued. “According to some, the Watanabes must have hidden the artifacts and played innocent, because these objects are still missing to this very day.” He read. Riku’s eyes widened and he started pulling on Iori’s sleeve. “You don’t think that the treasure hidden in Anubis House…” He started, eyes full of wonder. 

“Could be the stolen artifacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb?” Iori finished and Riku nodded. “I think that might be exactly what we’re looking for.” Iori said seriously. “Oh my god.” Riku exclaimed. “This means that there actually might be a real treasure hidden in the house! The idea doesn’t feel as farfetched anymore!” He exclaimed excitedly and smiled at Iori. 

Iori grinned in return. “It really does seem more believable now that we have an idea of what we could be looking for.” He said. That was when the two boys realized how close they had gotten in their excitement, their faces now mere inches apart. They blushed and Iori pulled away. What Nagi had said to them earlier had made them both feel self-conscious. 

Iori cleared his throat. “Anyway, good job on thinking about the Watanabes, I think I might have figured out what those symbols on the back of the painting are as a result.” He said as he walked back to his old seat across from the other. Riku looked up at Iori, his eyes wide in wonder. “You solved it? What does it mean?” He asked excitedly. 

Iori shook his head. “Well, I don’t know what it means exactly, but think I know how to find out.” He said with a smirk. “How then?” Riku asked impatiently, now intrigued as to what Iori had realized. “If we assume that the treasure really consists of an artifact, or maybe even multiple artifacts that come from Tutankhamun’s tomb, then this case has a clear connection to ancient Egypt. So, wouldn’t it make sense if the symbols are actually hieroglyphs?” Iori explained. 

Riku’s face lit up as Iori said that. “Of course! Iori, you’re a genius!” Riku yelled, perhaps a bit too loudly as the librarian shushed him and glared at them angrily. “Sorry.” Riku whispered back, but then turned to Iori again with a sheepish smile. “Good job Iori! That makes so much sense!” He said, much quieter this time. 

Iori smiled and stood up. “I’m going to see if I can find any books on ancient Egypt or hieroglyphs.” He said. Riku nodded. “I’ll help you!” He said excitedly, and then the two were off. 

“I’m telling you, even if we know they’re hieroglyphs it’s going to take a few days to translate them. That way of writing stopped being used such a long time ago, and it’s difficult to interpret. It’s nothing two amateurs can decode in a couple of hours, even if it’s only three symbols.” Iori told Riku as they were walking back to the house. 

“I know, but I got really excited today. It felt like we actually got somewhere!” He exclaimed. Riku just wanted to solve the riddle as quickly as possible so that they could hurry up and find the treasure. “Yeah, it is a good start at least.” Iori agreed. 

The two finally got back to the house, though it was much later than either of them had anticipated. When the two entered, they found that everyone were already in the middle of eating dinner. “There you two are! What have you been up to?” Mitsuki asked as Iori and Riku entered the dining room. 

“Oh nothing, we were just studying at the library and lost track of time is all.” Riku explained. “I bet you did.” Nagi said with a wink at the end, making both Iori and Riku blush furiously and do anything they could to not look at each other. “Iorin, are you abandoning me for Rikkun?” Tamaki asked with a pout from the other end of the dining table. 

Iori raised an eyebrow. “What? Why would I be abandoning you?” He asked. “Because!” Tamaki started. “You’ve been spending so much time with him recently! You hung out together all weekend, and today you practically ignore me to have lunch with him and study together at the library!” He complained. 

“That’s…” Iori started, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t mean to leave Tamaki alone, despite acting like he was tired of the other boy’s antic most of the time, Iori really did consider Tamaki to be one of his best friends. Still, he wasn’t sure how to explain that he’d ditched him to look for a secret, ancient Egyptian treasure hidden somewhere in their boarding house. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you alone. We’ll have lunch together tomorrow.” He said in the end, hoping Tamaki would accept that and not ask any further questions. Tamaki kept pouting, but still nodded, seemingly haven let it go for now. Then, Nagi clapped his hands together. “Well, I for one think it’s wonderful that the two of you seem to be getting along.” He said. 

Iori and Riku both decided to simply ignore Nagi’s comments for the time being, but their cheeks still flushed despite it all. After that, everyone finished their dinner, and once that was done, they all just hung out in the living room. That was when something happened. 

Gaku was on his phone, when all of a sudden, he stood up, accidentally bumping against the table and knocking over a glass of water in the process. Everyone turned to look at Gaku while Sougo rushed off to the kitchen in order to get a towel to dry up the water with. “Gaku, what happened?” Ryuu asked in concern. 

Gaku looked up at Ryuu, a grin spreading over his face. “I got an email from Tenn!” He said. “No way! From Tenn?” Ryuu asked excitedly as he ran over to Gaku. “Yeah, I’m not sure why it’s an email and not a text, but at least he contacted us!” Gaku responded before opening it up. Everyone looked on in excitement as he started reading the message out loud. 

“Gaku, I’m sorry for just leaving so abruptly, and for not contacting you sooner. As you know, I accidentally left both my phone and my computer behind, which is why I haven’t been able to contact you. I’m fine, but it seems my dad got into some bad business with some important guys, I’m sorry I can’t tell you the details. Anyways, I probably won’t come back to school anytime soon, sorry about that. Will you please tell the others for me? Thanks. Kujou Tenn.” 

Everyone was silent for a while, processing this new information. “Oh my, I hope his dad manages to get through it soon.” Mitsuki was the first to speak up after Gaku read the message. Iori was a bit taken aback when the next thing he heard was Riku mumbling under his breath. “It’s not even his real dad…” It had been very quiet, so Iori couldn’t be sure, and it didn’t seem as if anyone else had caught it, but it made him very confused. 

Gaku frowned. “Is it just me, or does this seem a bit different from Tenn’s usual writing?” He asked. Yamato shrugged. “Nothing looks off to me.” He said before going back to watching TV, which was what he’d been doing before. “What looks off in your opinion then?” Ryuu asked. 

Gaku shrugged. “I don’t know… Maybe it’s just the fact that Tenn never says please? At least not to me…” He said. Ryuu smiled and patted Gaku’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s just hope that everything works out for his father, and then maybe he can return back here once that business is done.” He said. Gaku nodded. “I suppose…” He said. 

After that, Gaku turned to Riku, who had been strangely tense since Gaku announced that he’d gotten the message. “I guess I owe you an apology, Nanase. I get that you didn’t have anything to do with Tenn leaving, I was just taking my anger out on you. It wasn’t cool of me to do that, so I’m sorry.” He said. 

Riku’s eyes widened, and for a moment it looked like he was about to cry. However, he seemed to quickly pull himself together and smiled at Gaku. “It’s okay, I get that you were upset, so I’m not angry about the past week. Let’s start over, yeah?” He suggested and held out his hand. 

Gaku chuckled and shook Riku’s out-stretched hand. “Sounds good to me.” He said. A while later, Iori watched Riku walk off, it didn’t seem like anyone else noticed the redhead leaving. Normally, Iori wouldn’t think anything of it, but he could vaguely see his shoulders shaking as he walked out. Iori got a bit worried, he also wondered if there was something to what Riku had mumbled earlier. With that though, Iori stood up and followed after Riku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving you on a little bit of a cliffhanger there... I really enjoy writing Iori and Riku working out the different pieces of the puzzle! And finally Gaku understood that he was being a jerk! So don't worry, he won't be mean to Riku anymore ^^ With that said, I hope you enjoyed this update and I'll be back with the next one on Wednesday! Thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3<3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori decides to check on Riku after he left the living room and the two get closer, both to each other and to the treasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helle everyone! I'm back with a new chapter that I hope you're excited for! ^^ Some of you may know this, and some of you probably don't, but I'm currently studying archaeology at the University of Gothenburg, and I may have gotten a bit nerdy about ancient civilisations in this chapter... And did I ad the majority of an entire scene just to be able to add that? Yes. Do I regret it? Not at all, I love that sort of stuff, it's just so exciting! I do apologize though if some of you find it boring XD That being said, I still hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^   
> If you have any questions or if you want to talk about i7, House of Anubis, ioriku (or maybe even archaology and history ;) ) you can find me on twitter: @EFagerhag

Riku had gone back up to his room, he didn’t quite feel like being around everyone else at the time. Gaku having apologized was a huge relief and made him very happy, but right now, Riku couldn’t stop thinking about Tenn. If what he’d written in that email was true, that means him leaving probably had nothing to do with Riku, but he didn’t know if he could exclude the possibility completely just yet.

Moreover, Riku felt frustrated. He was angry, not with himself, but with Kujou Takamasa. For the second time, that man had taken Tenn away from him. Wasn’t it enough to do it once? Did he really have to do it once more now that Riku had finally found his precious brother? Riku flopped down onto the bed and buried his head in his pillow, letting his tears stain the fabric. 

He missed Tenn. He missed having his older brother around to take care of him, play with him, talk to him and to just be there. He felt alone and he wanted the one who had been forcefully ripped out of his life to come back. But the thing is that Riku didn’t even know if Tenn wanted to come back. Maybe he was so tired of taking care of Riku that leaving him had been a relief. 

Riku cried at the thought, and he hated the fact that it made him cry. He had already cried more than enough because of Tenn. That was when the door to the room opened. Riku guessed that it had to be Nagi coming back, so he was actually surprised when he heard Iori call out to him. “Nanase-san? Are you okay?” He asked gently while sitting down at the side of Riku’s bed. 

“I’m fine.” Riku said, but it came out more like “I’b fibe” because his face was still pressed into his pillow since he didn’t want Iori to see him crying. “Really? Because you looked sort of upset when leaving the living room.” Iori stated. Riku didn’t know what to say at that, so he simple shrugged. 

Iori sighed and moved closer, placing a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “Nanase-san, what did you mean earlier? You said, ‘It’s not even his real dad’ when Yaotome-san finished reading Kujou-san’s message, didn’t you?” He asked. Riku tensed. Iori had heard that? Nobody was supposed to hear that. It was just Riku being frustrated and upset about Tenn. 

“Nanase-san, I don’t want to sound like Yaotome-san did last week, but do you know anything about Kujou-san’s absence?” Iori then asked. Riku immediately sat up at that, his eyes were red and wet from crying and he looked like a mess. “No! I don’t know anything about why he left!” Riku said. 

Iori’s expression immediately turned guilty, but whether it was from his previous implication or from seeing Riku’s tear-stained face, nobody knew. Riku averted his gaze, maybe he should just tell Iori about his connection to Tenn? Or would that be a mistake? But he had already trusted Iori with the secret of the treasure, so his relation to Tenn shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? Except in a way it was, it was much more personal to Riku. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt you.” Iori said, seemingly a bit lost for what to do next. “But what did you mean by what you said earlier?” He pressed on. Riku looked up at Iori, a sad expression on his face. “I…” He started. “This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but I promise you, I’m not lying.” Riku said. 

Iori nodded, though he looked a bit unsure as to what was going on right now. “I don’t know why he left, I really don't, but Kujou Tenn is the biggest reason why I decided to go here. Because Kujou Tenn is my twin brother.” Riku explained, leaving Iori in shock. 

“Twin brother? You and Kujou-san are twins? That’s… But that can’t… You have different surnames! And you don’t-” Iori started, not really sure how to comprehend what Riku had just told him. “We’re fraternal twins, which is why we don’t look that much alike. And before you ask, he’s the older one.” Riku said. 

Iori still stared at Riku in shock. “Okay, just wait a minute. So, Kujou Tenn is your twin brother, and because of him you decided to come to this school, but the moment you arrive he has to leave?” Iori asked. Riku nodded, and tears started running down his cheeks as he did. “When Yaotome-san said that it was my fault, I kept thinking that maybe he was right. What if Tenn-nii left because he learned that I was coming?” Riku then stuttered out as he started crying again. 

Iori wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew he didn’t like to see Riku cry. And while he didn’t consider himself to be very good at comforting others, he still figured he had to give it a try. And so, Iori pulled Riku closer and enveloped the redheaded boy in a hug. “Why would you say that?” He asked a few seconds later, once Riku had started to calm down a bit. 

“Because,” Riku started and pulled away. “I haven’t seen or spoken to him in five years.” He said. Iori’s eyes widened. “In five years? Why? What happened between you two?” He asked. Riku attempted to dry his eyes and then he started explaining everything to Iori. 

Riku told Iori about his childhood, how Tenn would constantly take care of him. He told him about his parents’ debt and Kujou Takamasa’s offer, and what they would have to give up for his help. He told him about Tenn leaving and about his own struggles afterwards, about him looking for Tenn and how he’d finally found him. He even told Iori about how scared he was that his brother hated him, that he never wanted to see him again. 

Iori was a bit overwhelmed by all of this new information, but he could see why Riku had chosen not to tell them about him and Tenn, seeing how complicated it all was, and how upset it evidently made Riku. Another thing Iori realized, and that he now knew for certain, was that he absolutely hated seeing the other boy upset or doubting himself. He decided he wanted to do something about it, to put a smile on that face. 

And so, Iori reached his hands out and let his hands come to rest on either side of Riku’s face, gently holding his cheeks in the palms of his hands. “Nanase-san, can you listen to me for a minute?” He requested. Riku nodded and sniffled in reply. 

Iori tried giving the other boy a calm and gentle smile to start things off. “All of this is quite a lot to take in, and honestly, I’m not very good at cheering people up, but I don’t think you need to put yourself down as much. And I do realize that things like this, you don’t just get over them because someone tells you to, but I’m hoping that maybe it can at least help for the time being.” He said. 

“Nanase-san, while I can’t say what Kujou-san feels about you, I can tell you that I think you’re amazing. You’re kind and hardworking and smart and cheerful, and you have one of the most infectious smiles I’ve ever seen. If Kujou-san did leave because of you, then that’s his loss. And let me tell you, the loss is huge, because you’re just that wonderful.” Iori said. 

This time, Riku was the one who was lost for words. Iori had overwhelmed him with his words, and Riku didn’t know how to react. After a few seconds, Riku registered that new tears were running down his cheeks, but these weren’t sad tears. He forced a smile onto his face and then threw himself at Iori, accidentally knocking the other boy over onto his back. 

Iori flushed for a second at having Riku so close, the other boy’s arms were tightly wrapped around his shoulders and he had buried his face in Iori’s neck. But it was also comforting, and Iori supposed this meant he might have said something right. He returned the embrace, wrapping his own arms securely around Riku’s torso. 

Once Riku had calmed down, the two pulled away from one another and Riku thanked Iori, saying that he was really glad he’d told him. Iori followed up with saying that he was really glad Riku had entrusted the truth to him. After that, the two had also stated that they were both grateful Nagi hadn’t come back to see what just happened, or he wouldn’t have shut up about it. 

The next day in class, Iori and Riku were almost late because of their trip to the library before school. The two just made it in time, panting and they rushed in and sat down together at a desk in the back of the classroom. “In the future, watch the time better! We could have been late.” Iori exclaimed. Riku rolled his eyes. “You could have checked too!” He retaliated. 

After that, Takanashi Otoharu, their history teacher entered the classroom, so both Iori and Riku quieted down. “Good morning class!” He greeted and the majority of the class mumbled a good morning in response. “Today, we’re going to be talking about prehistoric civilizations around the world, more specifically about the river valley civilizations, or the river cultures, as they're also called.” He started. 

Iori and Riku both got their notebooks out and started taking notes. “Can anyone give me an example on a river culture?” Otoharu asked the class. One of the girls at the front was the first to raise her hand, and the teacher gave her permission to speak. “The Yellow River in China.” She suggested. Otoharu nodded. “Correct, it’s also known as the cradle of Chinese civilization, so it’s pretty easy to remember. Anyone else?” 

The next person to raise their hand was Iori, and Riku turned to look at him as he answered. “Ancient Egypt and the civilizations around the Nile.” He said. Otoharu nodded again. “That’s right! It’s one of the most well-known river valley civilizations in the world, as egyptian mythology continues to fascinate people of all ages and ethnicities. The remaining river cultures include the Indus Valley in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, as well as Mesopotamia, which was located around the rivers Euphrates and Tigris and is considered the earliest of these civilizations, as well as the birthplace of the first society in the world.” 

Otoharu went on and on about these civilizations for the duration of the class, and towards the end he started passing our papers. “I am giving all of you an assignment. I want you to pair up and write an essay about one of these river valley civilizations, you can choose with you partner which one to write about. The deadline for the essay is in two weeks, good luck!” He said, just in time for the bell to ring. 

Riku turned to Iori with an excited look. “Iori, do you want to work together? We could do our essay about Egypt! It’s sort of fitting, right?” He suggested happily. Iori nodded. “That sounds good to me. It’ll give us an excuse to sit around with a bunch of books about Egypt around the others as well.” He said and Riku nodded in agreement. 

That was when Riku noticed Tamaki looking at them with a pout from a few desks away, and he instantly felt bad. “Or maybe you should go work with Tamaki? He looks a bit upset… I don’t want to, you know, take you away from him…” He said. Iori looked over at Tamaki and then back to Riku. “It’s okay, I’ll talk to him later. Besides, you don’t know anyone other than me and Yotsuba-san, so he’ll understand.” He tried to explain. 

That was when Tamaki stood up and walked over to another boy in their class, a shorter boy with pale skin, light green hair and yellow eyes. “Isumin, do you want to do the assignment with me?” He asked. The boy, who was named Isumi Haruka, a sort of loner in their class, nodded, though he looked a bit unsure. “I don’t mind, but don’t you usually work with Izumi Iori?” He asked skeptically. 

Tamaki shook his head. “Nope, Iorin abandoned me, so I’m not working with him! Both you and I are both alone now, so it’s perfect that we pair up!” He said while casting a glare Iori’s way. Iori rolled his eyes. “I’ll talk to him about it later, once he calms down. Let’s go, Nanase-san.” He said. 

Riku nodded and started packing up his things. As he followed Iori out the door however, he turned around and looked at Tamaki. Riku didn’t want to be the reason he and Iori fought, maybe he should also try and talk to Tamaki? 

Wednesday evening rolled around and once everyone was finished with dinner they went and did their own things. Yamato and Tamaki were watching TV, the younger of them already on his third pudding cup of the evening. Nagi had gone up to his and Riku’s room, presumably to watch some anime. Mitsuki and Ryuu helped Tsumugi clean up the kitchen while Gaku had gone to see his father about something. Sougo was sat in an armchair, reading a book. 

In the meantime, Riku and Iori were sat at the dining table working on their "assignment". “Nanase-san!” Iori exclaimed excitedly after a while, pulling the redhead closer to himself to show him what he’d found. “I think I managed to translate another symbol!” He said. Riku smiled brightly. “That’s amazing! Which one?” He asked. 

Iori pointed at a paragraph in the book he was reading. “The first of the three symbols, the one that looked like a square with a line through it. I think it means down, below or underneath.” He said. Riku nodded and read the part Iori pointed at. “Yeah, that makes sense. And we already manage to figure out that the final symbol is the number eight. So, that makes the meaning of the message ‘Under something eight’.” Riku suggested. 

“Hmm…” Iori hummed in thought. “Or maybe,” He started.” Under the eighth something?” He said. Riku nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, that makes more sense… I think…” Riku started before he grabbed his notebook, where they’d drawn the three symbols. “The middle symbol looks like a staircase, maybe that’s literally what it means?” He suggested. 

Iori raised an eyebrow. “Under the eighth staircase?” He asked. Riku rolled his eyes. “Well, no, but maybe under the eighth step in a staircase?” Riku clarified. Iori’s eyes widened. “That could actually be it! But which staircase would it be talking about?” He asked. 

“Well,” Riku started. “I’m guessing it’s limited to this house, in which case there are three different stairs, the one between the first and the second floor, the one to the attic and the one to the cellar. I guess there is the one leading up to the house from outside, but that one only has three steps, so it's out by default. We’ll just have to check the other three until we find the right one.” Riku said. 

Iori nodded. “Okay, should we check one of them out tonight? You know, after everyone’s gone to sleep like when we went up to the attic?” He suggested. “Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s do the one between the first and second floor tonight! I’ll meet you down in the entrance hall around 11:30? Everyone should have gone to sleep by then.” Riku said. 

“11:30 sounds perfect. I’ll get us some tools, I think Tsumugi keeps them in a shed outside, I’ll just tell her I need to fix something in my room and we're good to go. You be careful when getting past Tsukumo tonight, it’ll be troublesome if he sees you.” Iori said in concern. 

Riku smiled up at him. “Thank you, Iori! I’ll be careful! And it’ll be great if you could get some tools, don’t make it too obvious that we need them for something else though.” Riku said with a smirk. Iori lightly hit his arm at that, bit gave him a smug smile. “You’re the one who’s a horrible liar, so I wouldn’t be so concerned about my abilities to get the tools without revealing our true intentions.” He said. 

Riku just chuckled and hit back. Things were great now that he had Iori to help him out. Riku was so happy he told him the truth, not only about Sara and the treasure, but about everything else as well. It felt like they had become much closer since then. Riku actually looked forward to tonight, even though he was quite nervous as well. 

Riku couldn’t sleep, even though he had tried to, he was just too excited about what he and Iori were about to do. He wasn’t even sure if they had solved the clue correctly, but he had his hopes. And even if they were correct, maybe they got the wrong staircase. Or maybe Tsukumo would catch them and that would be it. They’d get in trouble and in the worst case even get expelled. They couldn’t keep looking for the treasure if they got expelled. 

Riku shook his head, it was better to not think of what could go wrong. They’d already decided to do this, now he and Iori just had to make sure they didn’t mess it up. When the clock hit 11:24, Riku decided that he had been patient enough. It would take some time to make it past Tsukumo and he was sure Iori wouldn’t mind if he was a few minutes early. 

And so, grabbing a hoodie and a flashlight, and then doublechecking that the locket was still hung around his neck, Riku slowly and silently made his way out of the room. He’d had enough of Nagi thinking he was out on a secret date, so he’d even gone to the trouble of putting his pillows and some clothes underneath his blankets so that it looked like he was still sleeping. 

Riku made his way through the hallway and then he had to get past Tsukumo’s office. He leaned out past the corner so that he could look through the windows that separated the hallway from the office, to make sure that the caretaker wasn’t still awake. 

Riku could see Tsukumo sitting in his chair by the desk, which alarmed him at first. This was going to be so much more difficult if Tsukumo was awake. Then Riku let out a breath of relief as he realized Tsukumo was fast asleep in the chair. He proceeded to crawl through the hallway, so that if Tsukumo woke up, he wouldn’t see Riku standing in the hallway on the other side of the windows. 

Soon, Riku was past the office and on his way down the stairs. He looked at the clock, 11:27 it showed. He’d been slow but he was still early, so he wasn’t that surprised to see no trace of Iori upon reaching the entrance way. 

A minute later, Riku heard a door opening and turned to see Iori walking towards him. “Sorry, did I make you wait?” He asked in concern. Riku shook his head and smiled at the raven-haired boy. “No, I was restless and got here early.” He said before pointing up the stairs at Tsukumo’s office, which could vaguely be made out from the first floor. 

“Tsukumo is in his office, but he’s asleep. Still, we should be really careful, and also ready to run and hide if he wakes up.” Riku explained. Iori nodded and glanced up, though Riku knew that he wouldn’t be able to see the caretaker from where they were stood. 

Iori then held out his bag. “I got a few tools that might help, let’s just hope I’ve got the right things. We have no idea how difficult this is going to be.” Iori said. “That’s fine, I’m sure we’ll manage somehow. Good job on getting these!” Riku replied with a smile that Iori reciprocated. 

“So,” Riku started before turning to the stairs. “Do we assume it’s the eighth step from the bottom or the top?” He asked. “Well, I think you’d normally count from the bottom, wouldn’t you?” Iori answered and Riku agreed. And so, the two started working, walking up the stairs and sitting down on the seventh, meaning they now had the eighth step right in front of them. 

The staircase was built of wood, and the middle of the steps were covered by a dark green carpet. “Okay, first we’re going to have to remove the carpet, or we won’t get to the actual step.” Riku told Iori, who nodded and reached into his bag. “Do you want a knife or a pair of scissors?” He asked. 

Riku considered the options for a while, but soon came to a decision. “I think a knife would be easier. I don’t know if I could get the blade of a scissor in between the carpet and the step.” He said. Iori nodded and handed Riku a small pocketknife. Riku then got to work as he started cutting the carpet right where the eighth and ninth step met. 

“Just be careful so that you don’t cut yourself.” Iori said in concern. Riku nodded, he was already taking it slow, but he figured he would rather keep all of his fingers than get to the step as soon as possible, and so he slowed down a bit. 

Once he was through, Riku smiled brightly at Iori as he handed back the knife to him. Iori took it and put it away. Then the two of them folded the carpet back to reveal the wooden step underneath. To both of their surprise, it was clear that one of the floor boards were already loose, it could definitely be removed. 

Riku smiled excitedly at Iori as he pointed at it, and Iori responded with an enthusiastic smile of his own. Neither of them had really expected to stumble upon the correct place on their first try, and they had also been prepared to try and pry the wood up by themselves, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Iori reached out and tried to lift the board up. It took a few tries, since even though it was loose, it was still made to look as if it fitted right in with the others. Soon though, he got it. Iori removed the wooden board, only to reveal a very small hole in the step underneath it. Riku reached down into it and pulled out a single thing. A tiny key that hung on a piece of string. 

The two boys looked at each other in excitement, but that excitement soon died as they heard Tsukumo waking up in the office above them. They could vaguely hear him talking to Corbierre. With panicked expressions, the two looked at each other, unsure how to proceed from there. 

“Put the board back!” Riku whispered in a hurry. Iori quickly did that, but it was quite difficult to get it aligned correctly. And when they heard the door to Tsukumo’s office open, they knew they were out of time. They left the board as it was, partly back in the hole, but a bit askew, and then they threw the carpet back to cover it. 

Then, as quickly and quietly as they possibly could, the two made it down the stairs and into the living room, hiding behind one of the couches and praying that Tsukumo wouldn’t find them there. Their hearts were beating fast and hard in their chests, and they were almost afraid to even breath. 

However, the both of them startled when they heard a loud bang followed by several curses from Tsukumo. They both peeked out from behind the sofa only to see that Tsukumo had slipped and fallen on the loose carpet and floorboard. Tsukumo limped down the rest of the way and then, while grunting in pain, made it into the cellar. 

Iori and Riku finally released a breath of relief as he disappeared. “Do you think we’ll get in trouble for this?” Riku asked worriedly. Iori shook his head, but he didn’t look all that convinced. “No, he doesn’t know it was us. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He said. Riku nodded. 

“At least we managed to get this.” Riku said triumphantly while holding out the key. Iori smiled and nodded. “Where do you think it goes?” He asked. “Is it too much wishful thinking to believe it goes to the treasure?” Riku asked in return. Iori chuckled. “I do think it’d be a bit too easy, but who knows? It does look too small to be for a door, so maybe it’s to a chest, a box or a diary?” He then suggested. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, and I think I know where we can look for whatever this goes to.” He said seriously. Iori could understand what Riku meant just by taking a single look at the other. “We have to go back up to the attic again, don’t we?” He asked. Riku nodded. 

“Figured.” Iori said with a sigh. “Though I think we’re better off waiting for a while, I have a feeling Tsukumo is going to be on edge after that fall he just took. He’ll definitely suspect someone fiddled with the stair.” Iori pointed out. 

Riku nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Though as soon as we get a chance, I say we go. I want to find this thing as soon as we can.” He said. Iori agreed. “Then let’s be on the lookout for the perfect moment to sneak up there.” He said. 

Riku nodded but then they both got quiet as they heard Tsukumo curse again from down in the cellar. Riku turned to Iori with a small smile. “I should probably get back upstairs before Tsukumo decides to come out from the cellar. It’s going to be a lot more difficult if he’s back in his office, like you said, he’ll be on the lookout.” He said. 

Iori nodded. “That’s probably for the best.” He said before grabbing Riku’s wrist. “Be careful getting back. And good night.” He said with a small smile. Riku nodded. “Good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Riku responded before turning around and walking back up to the second floor and his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. (of the chapter) I hope you liked this! They're starting to get somewhere, which is exciting! I hope you're all looking forward to see the continuation! I'll be back with the next chapter on Saturday, so stay tuned. ^^ Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting me by leaving kudos, comments or anything else! I love you all! <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori tries to make up with Tamaki. Iori and Riku also finds a seemingly perfect moment to sneak back up to the attic and find what the key goes to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IORI!!! We love you very much! <3<3 With that said, please enjoy this new chapter! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can find me on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Thursday morning arrived quietly at Anubis House. When Riku walked down to eat breakfast he noticed that Tsukumo seemed to have taken some time last night to fix the staircase, the board was no longer loose and the carpet, while still being cut, had been put back in its original place.

“Good morning.” Riku said as he entered the dining room and took his designated seat on Iori’s left. “Morning!” The others’ who were already up answered. The only ones still not there were Tamaki and, surprisingly, Mitsuki, who was usually one of the earliest. 

So, when the ginger third year came panting down the stairs, looking like a mess, everyone had some questions. “Well, someone,” Mitsuki started while glaring hard at Yamato. “Broke my alarm clock and forgot to turn on his own as well as telling our third roommate about my situation. So, I only woke up because this same person was so loud getting out of bed this morning.” He explained as he sat down and quickly started assembling his breakfast. 

“Gee, sorry Mitsu, but it’s not like it’s that late. You’ll still make it in time for school.” Yamato said while rolling his eyes and continuing to sip his coffee. Mitsuki glared at him again and then pointed the butter knife at the bespectacled man. “You are coming with me to town today, we’re buying a new alarm clock.” He said and Yamato simply shrugged. 

That was when a very angry-looking Tsukumo came limping into the room. Iori and Riku looked worriedly at each other, having already guessed what he was about to bring up. “Okay, which one of you brats were running around tampering with the staircase last night?” He asked angrily. 

Everyone was silently confused, except for Iori and Riku that is, but they pretended to act along with the rest of the inhabitants of the Anubis House. “What do you mean?” Ryuu asked after a minute of silence. “What I mean is,” Tsukumo started, still glaring at all of them. “That one or some of you boys were running around the house last night, messing with one of the steps in the staircase.” He explained. 

Gaku raised an eyebrow at that. “How do you know it was one of us? This house is practically ancient, it’s not that surprising if some things break every now and then. Did you see anyone?” He then asked. Tsukumo clicked his tongue. “No, but-” He started but was interrupted by Tsumugi entering the room. 

“Oh, leave the boys alone! It was just a coincidence! That step has been loose for ages, remember I told you about it last year, asked you to have it fixed. You should have taken a look at it earlier.” She said, and neither Iori nor Riku had ever been more grateful to her for anything. They were also grateful that Tsukumo obviously hadn't fixed the step already, otherwise he might have found the key. 

Tsukumo sighed. “Fine. But if I find out that one of you have been running around at night and messing with the house, I swear you’ll be out of here faster than you can imagine!” He yelled angrily as he stomped away, or tried to at least, as he was still limping from the fall last night. 

Iori and Riku cast a glance at one another, they’d have to be really careful in the future not to let Tsukumo know what they were doing. That’s when Tsumugi came back into the room. “I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you, he’s just a little extra irritable because his foot hurts.” She said with a smile as she started to clean away the parts of their breakfast that was finished. 

“Oh, that reminds me.” Gaku said and turned to Tsumugi before she could head back into the kitchen. “Tsumugi, do you think you could cook up a feast Saturday afternoon? My dad are getting a few visitors and he’d like to show them around the campus, ending it with a dinner party in one of the boarding houses.” He explained. 

Tsumugi smiled excitedly and nodded. “I would love to, but have you talked to Tsukumo about it yet? You need to get his permission, you know.” He said. Gaku frowned. “My old man said he was going to take care of that, but I should probably still doublecheck with him… I’ll do it once I get back from school, hopefully he won’t be as grumpy then as he is now.” He said. 

“That sounds good, let me know once you have your answer!” Tsumugi said before continuing to clean away the breakfast. Everyone grabbed what little food was left before leaving to do their own things before school. Riku dragged Iori off to the side to talk to him. “Okay, I was thinking of visiting Sara before school, maybe she’ll know what the key is for. But I’ll see you in class, yeah?” He said. 

Iori frowned. “You don’t want me to come with you?” He asked, hating how disappointed he sounded. Riku smiled apologetically. “Remember how upset she got last time? If I’m going to talk to her about the treasure, I think it might be more efficient to go alone. And she’s the only one we can ask for help.” He explained. 

Iori sighed but reluctantly agreed. “Okay, I see your point… But let me know what she says, will you? And be careful.” He said. Riku rolled his eyes. “You know I’m going to tell you, and I’m just going to the retirement home, it's nothing dangerous.” He said. Iori nodded, but Riku could see some uncertainty in his eyes. So, he decided to change the subject. 

“Maybe you could take this opportunity to make up with Tamaki?” Riku suggested with a small but smug smile. Iori frowned and Riku sighed. “Come on, I haven’t seen you talking to him at all since we got that assignment in history! Just because you’re hunting treasure with me doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends with him! You should spend some more time with him! And maybe we can hang out all three sometime, yeah?” He suggested. 

Iori averted his gaze. “Fine.” He said, but Riku wasn’t sure if he actually meant it or not. “Anyway,” Riku started. “I better get going if I’m going to make it back to school in time. See you later!” He said and walked off. Iori sighed and watched him go. 

Iori knew that Riku was right, that he should try and patch things up with Tamaki. It was mostly just his own pride trying to convince himself that he hadn’t done anything wrong. With another sigh, Iori walked back to the room he shared with his blue-haired friend, if they were still friends that is. 

He opened the door and took a step inside, and there on his own bed sat Tamaki. “Yotsuba-san.” Iori greeted. Tamaki looked up at Iori, he didn’t look angry or upset, but he didn’t exactly seem pleased to see him either. “Uhm, I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to school today?” Iori suggested, not really sure how else to start this. 

Tamaki frowned. “Because Rikkun abandoned you? So, you can only spend time with me whenever he wants some alone time?” He asked. Iori groaned. “That’s not what I meant! I just… Can we just walk to school together? Like we used to?” Iori asked once more. Tamaki shrugged and grabbed his bag. “Do whatever you want I guess.” He said and started walking away. 

Iori followed Tamaki out of the house and onto the road that led to their school. They didn’t say anything, and Iori soon realized he was probably going to have to be the one to do so, or nothing would really change. “Yotsuba-san, I’m sorry.” He said. Tamaki turned around and looked at Iori, a slightly surprised expression on his face. 

Iori continued. “I know I sort of ditched you lately, and I’m sorry. At first, I really was just looking out for the new guy, since he seemed to have a hard time getting along with us, but I guess I started sort of enjoying spending time with him along the way.” He explained. 

Tamaki gave an awkward smile at that. “I know that, and I don’t want you to stop spending time with Rikkun, because Rikkun will be sad and I actually really like him. But you shouldn’t have to stop spending time with me just because he’s your friend now too.” He said. Iori nodded. “I know that, it’s just… We’re working on this thing, and it’s sort of personal, and I promised Nanase-san I wouldn’t say anything about it and-” Iori started, not sure how else to explain what he and Riku were doing without telling Tamaki about the treasure. 

“Does this personal thing involve you and Rikkun messing with the stairs at night?” Tamaki asked in a joking tone. Iori, however, froze and stared at his roommate in disbelief. Tamaki turned and looked at him, then realization hit him. “Oh shit, don’t tell me that’s actually what you did last night?” He asked. 

Iori blinked in confusion. “Wait, you just said that even though you didn’t know?” He asked. Tamaki nodded. “I noticed you sneaking out last night and just guessed, but I didn’t know that the two of you actually messed with the staircase!” He exclaimed. “Did you really?” He then wanted to confirm. 

“Okay fine.” Iori started, but he gave Tamaki a dead serious look. “Yes, we messed with the stairs, but we never meant for anyone to get hurt, or even for anyone to notice! Tsukumo came down and we were pressed for time! Also, you can’t tell anyone about this! I’m serious!” He said. Tamaki nodded. “Okay, don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything.” He said. 

Iori calmed down a bit, but he still felt a bit on edge. “Did it have anything to do with that personal thing you and Rikkun are working on?” Tamaki asked curiously. Iori shook his head. “Please don’t ask, I already said that I can’t tell you anything about it.” 

Tamaki frowned. “I wouldn’t tell anyone!” Tamaki exclaimed persistently, but Iori just kept shaking his head. “I’ve already told you more than I should have!” Iori said. Tamaki looked a bit disappointed but Iori did manage to get him to lay off in the end. Things hadn’t turned out exactly how Iori had expected them to, but at least Tamaki was talking to him again. He just hoped he would leave all of this alone from now on. 

Tsukumo Ryou was sat in his office, his sprained ankle resting on top of a crate he’d moved to the room. Tsukumo sighed and stroked the head of his precious raven. “Corbierre, what do I do now? Those brats are up to something, I know they are. The hour is approaching quickly, we can’t risk someone messing it up now at the end.” He said to the bird. 

Corbierre obviously couldn’t answer him, what with him being dead and all, but it was still a comfort to talk to the bird. “And then there’s the issue with Kujou Takamasa as well. He is hiding something from me, and I fear he has a plan. Still, I can’t go against him, not as long as he has the boy. He is too important.” He then said. 

Then Tsukumo smiled and started scratching underneath Corbierre’s beak. “But we have something crucial as well, don’t we Corbierre?” He said with a smirk on his lips. Then Tsukumo turned around with a sigh. “Now then, where did I put that book?” He said to himself as he started going through his shelves. Soon he spotted what he was looking for, on top of one of the cabinets. 

Tsukumo went to grab the book when he saw something. One of the spare keys was missing. Tsukumo frowned and opened the door to his office. “Tsumugi!” He called out and the young, blonde woman soon appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “Yes? What is the matter?” She asked in concern. “Have you borrowed the spare key to the attic recently?” He asked. 

Tsumugi seemed to consider it for a while but then shook her head. “No, I can’t say I have… Did you misplace it?” She asked. Tsukumo frowned again. “Something like that.” He said before entering his office again, closing the door behind him. 

“Corbierre…” Tsukumo said and turned to his raven. “Those brats are sneaking up to the attic.” He said with and angry growl, which then turned into a smug smirk. “But I’m going to put a stop to them.” He said before he reached out and plucked one of Corbierre’s black feathers out. “Sorry about that, but I’m going to need this.” He said before leaving his office. 

Tsukumo walked over to the door leading up to the attic, unlocked it and opened it just a little bit. Then he took the feather and placed it on top of the door before closing and locking it once more. “When those brats go back up there, I’ll know. And then I can confront them, search them, and be free of those nightmares.” He said, clearly pleased with himself and his schemes. 

Days went by rather uneventfully in Anubis House, and then came the weekend. Throughout the entire Saturday, everyone was busy helping Tsumugi clean the house and prepare some nice dishes for that evening. Even Tsukumo seemed to be in an okay mood for the day, as the guests coming over were kind of influential. Though that also meant that he needed everything to be perfect. 

Soon somebody knocked on the door, and Gaku, as the son of the headmaster, went to open it and greet their guests. Tsukumo and Tsumugi stood in the entrance, ready to wish them all welcome to the House of Anubis, while the rest of the boys stood in the living room, waiting for them to enter. 

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, the dinner tasted delicious, and the guests seemed to think so too, everyone was somehow on their best behavior and even Gaku seemed to get along with his father for once. Or maybe he was just acting, Riku hadn’t learned to tell the difference yet. 

After dinner and dessert had been served, the guests stayed in the house discussing some things with Sousuke, though Tsukumo tried to join the conversation every now and then. That’s when Riku realized something. Tsukumo was completely immersed in the conversation, he didn’t even care that Yamato and Nagi were throwing food for Tamaki to catch. This was the opportunity they had been waiting for. 

Looking around the room, Riku quickly spotted Iori by the drinks. Riku walked up to him and tugged on his shirt, making the raven-haired boy turn around. “Nanase-san? What’s up?” He asked. “Iori, look at Tsukumo! I think this is our chance!” Riku exclaimed, but Iori just looked confused. 

Riku rolled his eyes. “He’s completely immersed in the conversation, so I bet he wouldn’t notice if two of us students, oh I don’t know, slipped away for a few minutes?” He suggested, hoping Iori would get what he meant now. He clearly did as Riku saw his eyes widen in realization. 

“You want to go up to attic now? While everyone’s still awake?” Iori asked in disbelief. Riku simply nodded enthusiastically. “The guests are supposed to be here for another hour, he won’t notice anything until they leave! Please! We don’t know when we’ll get a chance like this again…” Riku pleaded, giving Iori his best puppy eyes, which he’d learned that the other boy was awfully weak to. 

Iori blushed and sighed. “Fine, but we’ll have to leave now then.” He said. Riku grinned and nodded, grabbing ahold of Iori’s hand before pulling him away from the party and up the stairs. And if Iori’s face flushed and turned into the color of Riku’s hair, at least the redhead was none the wiser. 

Riku quickly went into his bedroom to get the key to the attic and the smaller key they found under the stairs, and then joined Iori by the door. They unlocked it and went inside, making sure to close and lock the door carefully after themselves. Then they went up and started looking. 

“Should we start in the hidden room, or?” Riku suggested but Iori shook his head. “No, we looked through that last time, I couldn’t find anything other than the painting in there. It has to be somewhere else.” He said. Riku frowned. “This is going to take forever! We don’t even know if whatever we’re looking for is up here!” He complained. 

Iori chuckled. “Well, most things that belonged to the Watanabes are kept up here, so it would make sense for it to be here as well. Let’s just start looking, if we don’t find it now, we’ll just come back some other day! Just remember that we need to be back downstairs before the guests leave.” He said. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Riku said as he carefully started looking through one of the piles. They knew they had to be careful while looking, they didn’t want Tsukumo to realize they’d been up there after all. For the next twenty minutes they looked without finding anything that could be what they were looking for, and despite what Iori said before, they both quickly grew tired of the search. 

“This is so much more boring than I thought it would be.” Riku complained. “Yeah, well, it probably won’t be so boring when we find whatever it is we're looking for.” Iori said, but Riku could tell from the tone in his voice that he was just as bored as him. Riku sighed as he finished up the pile he was going through, and he was just about to move to the next when he accidentally walked into something hard. 

“Ouch!” He yelled out, making Iori turn around and jogging over to Riku in concern. “What happened? Are you okay?” He asked. Riku nodded. “Yeah, I just kicked… Actually, I have no idea what I kicked.” He said, and it was true. Whatever Riku had just kicked with his shin was covered by a white cloth. 

Riku bent down and removed the cloth, only to reveal a small wooden chest underneath. But what really made it stand out was that on the top of the chest there was a drawn symbol. A symbol of an eye. Riku looked at Iori. “That looks like my locket.” He said in awe. Iori nodded. “Think this is it?” He asked. 

“There’s only one way to find out.” Riku said as he pulled out the tiny key they’d found earlier that week. Both boys were holding their breaths as Riku slowly inserted and turned the key, and when they heard the click that meant it had been unlocked, they both turned to each other with a smile. 

“What do you think is going to be in there?” Riku asked enthusiastically. “Well, we won’t find out if we don’t open it, come on!” Iori responded. Riku nodded and then opened up the chest. “Huh… That’s… What is that?” Riku asked Iori once they saw the contents. Inside were loads of small cylindrical boxes and something else covered in cloth. 

Iori picked up one of the cylindrical boxes and opened it, pulling out a smaller, completely black cylinder. “I don’t know. They’re cylinders? But they look like they’re made of vinyl?” He said. The two then opened every single one of the boxes, they all contained a similar black cylinder. “What are we supposed to do with these?” Riku asked. 

“Well, first we have to figure out what they are… Actually, one of my mom’s oldest friends own an antique shop just about half an hour away from here. If we have time, we could go visit him? If we bring him one of these cylinders, maybe he can tell us what they are?” Iori suggested. 

Riku was hesitant at first. “I don’t know… I promised Sara I wouldn’t tell anyone, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to take this to some antique shop owner.” He admitted. “And yet you’ve already broken that promise when telling me.” Iori said. Riku flushed. “That’s different! You’re-” He started but then trailed off. 

“I’m what?” Iori asked, a smug smile on his lips. Riku blushed and looked away. “You’re… someone I trust, I guess.” He admitted. Iori smiled. “Then trust me on this too. He won’t ask questions, or at least he won’t make us answer questions if we don’t want to, and he’ll only need to look at it for a few minutes.” He said, trying to convince Riku. 

Riku shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I’ll think about it.” He said. Iori nodded in understanding. Riku shook his head, wanting to change subject, and so he pointed at the thing wrapped in some cloth that was still in the chest. “What about that? Is that just more cylinders?” He asked. 

“I don’t know.” Iori said before picking it up and unwrapping it. What they saw next shocked them both. Wrapped in the cloth was a box-like object in gold with engravings in red, blue and black on it. It seemed to consist of three hexagonal plates that each had a set of three different symbols on each side, symbols that Iori and Riku both recognized as hieroglyphs. The plates were all connected by some sort of pole, and you could spin them, changing the combination of hieroglyphs. 

“Well, it certainly wasn’t any more black cylinders.” Iori said. Riku smiled as he held out his hands and let Iori place the object in them. “Do you think this is the next clue?” Riku asked. Iori nodded. “I bet it is. I don’t know if we still need the cylinders, or if this is the only thing we were supposed to find, but I don’t think it would hurt to research the cylinders as well.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Hey, do you think this is like a puzzle box? Like, if you put in the right combination something happens?” He asked. “I’m not sure, but it could be.” Iori said. Then the raven-haired boy noticed something else. “Shit, we need to get back down.” He exclaimed. 

Riku looked at the clock and realized that Iori was right. “I’ll bring the puzzle box and one of the cylinders with me, let’s leave the rest up here.” Riku said and Iori agreed. “That sounds good, but move the box into the hidden room, just in case.” Iori suggested. Riku complied, opened the hidden room and dragged the chest inside. 

Once that was done, Iori and Riku grabbed all of their stuff and went back down. However, they failed to notice the little black feather that now lay on the floor as they hurried to put the things they found in Riku’s room and then headed back downstairs. To their relief, the party was still going on as they got back. Tsukumo was still talking to the guests and it didn’t seem like the two of them had been missed. 

Before the guests left, Tsukumo offered to give them a tour of the rest of the house, and so they left the dining room. A few minutes later, Tsukumo came back alone, and he looked partly angry, but also slightly pleased. “Can I get everybody’s attention?” He yelled, making all of them nervously walk over to him. 

“I’ll get straight to the point. This evening, someone went up into the attic, despite knowing very well that it is forbidden! I want to know who it was.” Tsukumo explained while glaring at all of them. Riku and Iori glanced at each other worriedly. “How do you know someone went up there this evening specifically?” Yamato asked. 

“Good question.” Tsukumo answered before he presented a tiny black feather. “A few days ago, I found that the spare key to the attic was gone. So, I placed this feather on top of the door. Earlier today, it was still there but when I walked past that door with our guests just now, I found it on the floor. This means the door to the attic has been opened. I want to know by who!” He explained, yelling the last bit out. 

Riku flinched at the volume at which Tsukumo yelled, suddenly feeling afraid. That was when Sousuke entered the dining room again. “Ah, Tsukumo, there you are! I don’t know why you disappeared so suddenly, but our guests are currently in your office, they’d love to hear some about your animals.” He said. 

Tsukumo looked between the headmaster and the students. “I’ll be there in a minute.” He said to Sousuke before turning back to the boys. “All of you are to stay here, and once they leave, I’ll find out who’s behind this.” He said while glaring them down, and then he walked off with the headmaster. 

Once Tsukumo was gone and the door was closed everyone let out a huge sigh and relaxed slightly. “What the hell? I threw out that key, so didn’t the feather just fall down on its own?” Gaku asked. “Yeah, it’d be difficult to get in there without a key.” Ryuu answered. 

However, it was then that Riku started to panic. He looked at Iori, who in turn noticed the other’s breathing becoming more and more unstable. “Nanase-san?” He asked in concern. “I-Iori… What do we do?” Riku asked, no longer caring that they weren’t alone in the room. 

The others stared at them, wide eyed as they realized something. “No way… You actually went up there?” Mitsuki asked. Riku nodded and choked out a sob. Iori started getting really worried now, so he sat the other boy down and tried to reassure him. “It’ll be okay.” He said over and over again. 

“No! It won’t!” Riku exclaimed. “Iori, I didn’t bother to hide the key once we got back! He’ll find it easily, and then he’ll know it was me and…” Riku trailed off as he was struggling for air. Iori searched Riku’s pockets, relieved to find his inhaler. Riku used it and visibly calmed down. 

Mitsuki then turned to Iori. “Wait, you went up there too?” He asked. Iori nodded reluctantly. “What the hell? You know you’re not allowed to!” He exclaimed, not really upset that Iori had broken the rules, but more over the possibility that Tsukumo would send him home. 

After another few minutes of Iori avoiding to explain why they’d gone up there, Riku somehow managed to collect himself. He stood up, catching everyone’s attention. “Nanase-san? What are you doing?” Iori asked. Riku turned to Iori. “I’m going to try and fix this mess. If Tsukumo comes back before I do, can you cover for me? Just say I’m in the bathroom or something…” He said before leaving. Iori was stunned, but he had to trust Riku to do this. 

Riku quietly made it up the stairs and then crawled on the floor to avoid being seen by everyone in the office as he passed it. He then hurried to his room, grabbed the key and sneaked back. Once he was outside the office, Riku left the key right there on the floor in front of the door before sneaking back down. 

When he entered the dining room again, he was bombarded with questions. “Did it go okay?” or “What did you even do?” for example. “I just left the key on the floor outside of his office, that way he can’t accuse a single person for doing it, right?” He said. 

“You just left it there? What if everyone get’s in trouble because of this?” Gaku asked angrily and Riku turned guilty. “I’m sorry… I just… I…” He started saying, but Iori interrupted him. “It’s okay, it’s the best you could have done.” He said and Riku nodded weakly. Iori could tell he was still feeling guilty. 

That was when Tsukumo reappeared, still looking angry, but now he held up the key. _‘So, he did find it.’_ Riku thought. “Very cleaver.” Tsukumo started. “Returning the key so I wouldn’t find out who did it. Well, I’m not giving up just like that.” He said, and then he turned to Ryuu. “Did you do it?” He asked. Ryuu shook his head. “No.” He said. 

Tsukumo then turned to Gaku. “How about you?” He asked. “I did not.” Gaku answered. Tsukumo continued to do this, turning to the students one by one. He turned to Yamato, then Mitsuki, then Nagi, then Tamaki, then Sougo and then Iori. They all said no. Then, at last, Tsukumo got to Riku. 

“How about you then?” He asked while glaring at Riku. “No.” Riku answered, but he instantly felt so guilty that he changed his mind. “Yes!” He said, making everyone stare at him in shock. “AHA!” Tsukumo exclaimed, a pleased smile on his face as he looked down at Riku. 

“No, he didn’t!” Iori exclaimed suddenly, making Tsukumo and everyone else stare at him instead. “Nanase-san didn’t go into the attic, I did.” He said. Riku looked at Iori, wide-eyed and confused. 

Next up, Mitsuki stepped in. “Both of them are lying, I’m the one who went up to the attic.” He said, giving Iori a reassuring smile. That was when the others also seemed to understand what they were doing. “No, it was me actually.” Nagi said. “No, me.” Ryuu was next. “Don’t listen to them, it was me who did it.” Yamato said. “Actually, it was me.” Sougo said. “Nope, it was me! All me!” Tamaki explained. 

Tsukumo practically growled, he was so angry. He then turned to Gaku as well. “And I supposed you are also the one who did it.” He said. Gaku looked around at all the others, who now looked pleadingly at him. He could reveal everything, or he could play along. And even though he and Riku got along now, Riku definitely wouldn’t call them friends. He also knew that Gaku didn’t want to get in trouble. 

Gaku looked up at Tsukumo, and with a determined look he gave his answer. “Yes, it was me.” He said, and the others smiled in relief. Tsukumo slammed the key onto the table startling everyone. “If that’s how you want it, fine.” He said before pulling something out of his robes. “Tomorrow, you all will spend the entire day cleaning this whole house from top to bottom, using only one of these.” He said as he held out a toothbrush. 

After that, Tsukumo left the room and everyone breathed out in relief. Riku almost collapsed against the floor and Gaku turned to him. “I don’t know what you did up in the attic, and frankly, I don’t care, but you owe me for this, Nanase.” He said. Riku nodded and smiled. “I know. Thank you, all of you.” He said, glad that they somehow managed to get out of that mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, chapter 10 finished! Did you like it? Were you scared when Tsukumo found them out? Also, what do you think the cylinders are? Also, if you're wondering what the puzzlebox looks like, here's a (very bad quality) picture of it: https://www.pinterest.se/pin/396387204707086509/  
> I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll be back on Wednseday with the next one! Thank you for reading, and also thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3<3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even after Tsukumo discovered that they had been to the attic, Iori and Riku are determined to keep going. But suspicion is growing in the house, and can they really figure it out all on their own?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back again with a new chapter that I hope you will enjoy! If you have questions or want to talk about anything else, feel free to contact me on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“Ugh, I’m still sore from yesterday! Let’s definitely not get caught again!” Riku complained as he and Iori were walking to school together the following Monday. “I think we should consider ourselves lucky that we didn’t get expelled. I’ve never seen Tsukumo that angry before.” Iori said.

“Do you think it’s him?” Riku then asked out of nowhere, confusing Iori. “Who?” He asked. Riku looked at Iori with a worried look. “Tsukumo! Do you think he’s the guy Sara told us to watch out for?” He asked. Iori frowned. “I don’t know… I mean, he does have a black bird, I guess... And he really doesn’t like the idea of us sneaking around the house.” Iori said. 

“Do you think that’s why he does that?” Iori soon asked. “That he forbids us from wandering around at night and going into the attic and cellar because he knows what’s out there and doesn’t want us finding it?” He asked. Riku shivered at the thought. “I really hope not, but I’m starting to believe that he’s more involved in this than we may think. Maybe he’s also looking for it?” Riku suggested. 

Iori was about to answer but didn’t get the chance to as they got company. “Who is looking for what?” Tamaki asked. Iori and Riku turned around quickly upon hearing his voice. “Yotsuba-san, what are you doing here?” Iori asked. Tamaki shrugged. “Going to school, aren’t you doing the same?” He asked, receiving hesitant nods in return. “Mind if I join you?” He then asked. 

Riku smiled. “Go ahead, I was actually thinking that the three of us should hang out together at some point.” He said cheerfully. Iori turned to him. “But Nanase-san-” He started, but was silent as Riku glared at him. “Cool, I’d like that!” Tamaki exclaimed and Iori sighed. 

As they walked, Riku marveled at all of Tamaki’s current energy, seeing as he was usually only lazying around. The boy was jumping around, doing these little movements to keep himself occupied constantly. Riku had never walked to school with the boy like this, and the times he saw him, Tamaki seemed either tired, hungry or bored. “Tamaki, aren’t you sore from yesterday’s chores? I’m aching all over…” Riku asked the other boy who simply shrugged. 

“Not really… But it’s not the first time I get to clean part of the house with a toothbrush, so maybe I got used to it?” He suggested. “What?” Riku asked, an amused smile on his face. “It’s Tsukumo’s favorite punishment after all, since he needs the school’s permission to punish us with anything worse than that.” Tamaki explained. “You used to get punished a lot last term?” Riku asked curiously. 

Iori rolled his eyes. “He has no one to blame for that but himself. And his endless appetite.” He said. Riku gave him a questioning look. “It seems Tsukumo didn’t appreciate all my late night visits to the kitchen.” Tamaki admitted sheepishly and Riku laughed in response. “Okay, that is sort of your own fault…” He said. 

Tamaki laughed at that too. “Right? I even got Iorin involved that one time as well!” He said. Riku feigned surprise and looked at Iori. “No way! Someone managed to get the honor student into trouble?” He asked with a smirk and Iori, once again, simply rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

Tamaki chuckled. “You seem to be doing a pretty good job of that as well, Rikkun. You managed to convince him into both going into the attic and prying up a step in the staircase, after all.” Tamaki said with a smile. 

Riku froze at that, his eyes going wide in shock. “Tamaki… You know about the stair?” He asked in disbelief. Iori turned to Riku with a panicked expression. “Nanase-san, it’s not what you-” He started, but Riku wouldn’t listen. Instead, he pushed past Iori and walked up to Tamaki. “How did you know?” He asked seriously. 

Tamaki frowned. “Iorin told me, but-” He started, but Riku once more interrupted what was about to be explained by turning back to Iori. He didn’t look angry, just disappointed. “You told him?” He asked. “No!” Iori denied. “Or, yes, but not about, you know, the thing! And besides, he mentioned it first!” Iori said while pointing at Tamaki. 

Riku raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?” He asked. Tamaki stepped forward and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at Iorin! I noticed him sneaking out that night and assumed that was what he’d been doing, he only confirmed it when I told him about it. And he didn’t say anything about that secret thing you were doing it for, just that he promised you not to tell anyone.” Tamaki explained. 

Riku nodded and turned back to Iori with an apologetic smile. “Right, sorry I kind of freaked out just now. I get it.” He said. Iori still looked guilty though. “I’m really sorry, Nanase-san!” he said. Riku shook his head and smiled. “It’s really okay, Iori.” He said with a smile. 

“I don’t want to pry…” Tamaki started, making both Iori and Riku turn to him. “But you know you can tell me about it, right? Maybe I could help! Whatever it is you’re doing it seems really cool! We’ll be like spies, and we could have codenames, and-” Tamaki started but was soon interrupted by Riku. “Tamaki! Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I should involve anyone else. I’m sorry.” He said. 

Tamaki frowned. “Fine. Keep your secrets then! I just wanted to help!” He said before turning around and walking away. Riku sighed. “I upset him, didn’t I?” He asked. Iori shrugged. “He’ll get over it.” He said. Riku frowned and hit Iori’s arm. “Ow! What was that for?” He asked, a bit offended. “That’s exactly what you said last time, and then you two had that fight which ended up with you ignoring each other for several days.” Riku explained. 

Iori blinked, as if he didn’t get the problem. “Yeah, but we made up already.” He said. Riku sighed. “Whatever, I’ll talk to Tamaki later. For now, we need to get to school.” He said and then they were walking again. 

From time to time, Iori would glance over at Riku, until at last the redheaded boy had had enough. “What is it?” He asked. “Hm?” Iori made a questioning noise. “You’ve been glancing at me for a while now, what do you want to say?” Riku clarified. “Oh…” Iori started. “I just… Have you been thinking anymore about going to that antique shop? About the cylinders…” He asked. 

Riku sighed. “While I don’t like the idea of asking someone else for help regarding this, I have to admit that it’s not a bad idea. It’s probably more efficient than whatever research we could have done on them ourselves.” He admitted. 

Iori smiled. “Cool! Because I was thinking maybe we could go tomorrow after school? Tuesdays are our shortest day after all, so we’d definitely have enough time…” He suggested and Riku agreed. “That sounds good to me. We’ll have time to go back to the house in between and tell Tsukumo we’re going into town, as well as get the cylinder I brought down from the attic. I don’t want to have to carry it around with me in school all day.” Riku said. 

“Then it’s decided.” Iori said with a small smile. “By the way, have you made any progress with the puzzle box?” He then asked curiously. Riku shook his head. “No, nothing. I just hope your antique dealer will give us more answers than that stupid puzzle box.” Riku said. Iori nodded, he really hoped so too. 

The next day, Riku and Iori had taken the bus to the closest town and they were currently standing outside of the antique shop. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Riku asked nervously, still a bit unsure whether or not they should ask someone else for help. 

Iori nodded. “It’ll be fine. We’ll tell him that we just happened to find something old that we don’t know what it is, and that we need his help in identifying it. He doesn’t need to know anything more than that. And besides, it’s basically the truth anyway.” He said. Riku nodded. “I guess… We do need to know what they are…” He admitted. 

Iori placed a hand on Riku’s shoulder and squeezed in order to reassure him. “Look, Akihiko-san is one of my mother’s best friends, he’s basically family with how often we see him. You don’t need to worry about him. Please, trust me on this?” Iori asked. Riku smiled up at Iori, instantly feeling a bit better. “I do trust you.” Riku said, and then he gave Iori a smug smile. “Besides, if you refer to him by his first name, then he has to be incredibly close.” 

Iori flushed. “Well, like I said, he’s almost family. More like an uncle than a friend, really.” He said. Riku nodded. “Okay, shall we go in then?” He asked. Iori smiled and agreed that they should, then he opened the door, setting of the little bell that alarmed the owner that a possible customer had just entered. 

“Hello! Akihiko-san?” Iori called out when nobody came to greet them. The two boys heard someone shuffling in the back of the store before someone drew the curtains behind the cashier apart. A man who looked like he may be in his mid-forties with thin, dark hair and small, round glasses now stood in the store. 

“Oh my, if it isn’t Iori-kun! What a pleasant surprise!” The man greeted cheerfully. Iori walked up to him and gave the man a smile, just before being pulled into a hug by him. “Akihiko-san! It’s been a while. How are you?” Iori said. “Oh, you know, the usual. My back’s acting up, but other than that I’m good. What about you? The new term going okay? And how is Mitsuki-kun doing?” He asked. 

Iori nodded. “I’m doing fine, thank you. And school is well, so is Nii-san.” He explained. “Good! That’s good.” The man, Akihiko, answered. That’s when he seemed to notice Riku standing a bit behind Iori. “And who is this boy? A friend of yours?” He asked. 

Riku walked up to him with a polite smile on his face and shook his hand. “My name is Nanase Riku, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” He said happily. “He’s a friend and classmate.” Iori explained. Akihiko smiled happily at that. “The pleasure is all mine! Rokuda Akihiko is my name, welcome to my shop.” He said. 

“I’ve never met any of Iori’s friends before, in fact, I didn’t even know if he had any!” Akihiko said with a laugh. “Of course I have friends! Just because I don’t talk about them as much as Nii-san does, doesn’t mean I don’t have them…” Iori said, sounding a bit offended, which only caused Akihiko to laugh even louder. 

“Well, I’m happy to be here, Rokuda-san.” Riku said politely, his nerves from before seemed to melt away seeing how friendly the older man was. “Oh please, just call me Akihiko! Any friend of the Izumis is a friend of mine!” He said. “Now come! If you have time, will you have some tea with me? I think I have a box of chocolates stored away somewhere as well… It’s not that often I get visits from friends out here, so I’d appreciate the company.” He said. 

“Thank you, that’d be nice. We have to catch the bus back to campus in an hour though, but we should have time for a cup of tea, right?” Riku asked Iori, who smiled and nodded in agreement. “Perfect! Come, this way.” Akihiko said and ushered the two boys further into the store, where Riku saw a small round wooden table with four chairs around it. 

Akihiko left to turn on the tea, and when he returned, he did so with a box of chocolates, just like he’d said. “Now then, while we wait for the water to start boiling, why don’t you tell me what brought you two here today? Because knowing Iori, he wouldn't come just to intoduce a friend.” He said, smiling smugly. 

“Ah, yes. Actually, we found something quite old in the house the other day, we’re not sure what it is so I thought we could ask you to identify it? Since you work with antiques and old artifacts and the like.” Iori explained. Akihiko almost started shining at that, he smiled brightly and Riku could see how excited he was. “Well, I’d love to help! Did you bring the object?” He asked. 

Riku and Iori both nodded before Riku reached for his bag and pulled out the cylindrical box. “Here.” Riku said as he handed it over to Akihiko, who in turn opened the small container and started examining the black cylinder inside. 

“Oh my… Where did you find this?” Akihiko asked in awe. “Just in a box in the house.” Iori quickly answered. “Do you know what it is?” He continued to ask. Akihiko nodded. “Yes, but these stopped being produced in 1929, so it’s quite a relic! It’s a phonographic cylinder, also known as a wax cylinder! They’re kind of like the predecessor to vinyl records, you could record and play audio on them.” He explained. 

Iori and Riku’s eyes widened. “You mean, there could be something recorded onto them?” Iori asked. Akihiko nodded. “Yes, it’s a possibility. You can’t really tell just from looking at them if there is, but judging from the box, these were empty when they were bought, meaning someone indeed intended to record something on them. Maybe they wanted to record their own music, or maybe to use it as some sort of diary.” He explained. 

Iori and Riku both smiled excitedly at that. “Do you know how to play them?” Riku asked. “Well, you’d need a phonograph, and sadly one of those are going to be pretty difficult to get by these days, as they to stopped being produced in 1929, just like these cylinders.” Akihiko answered. “You don’t have one here, Akihiko-san?” Iori asked. 

Akihiko shook his head. “No, sadly I don’t. But I might have a picture of one somewhere! Wait here, I’ll go see if I can find it!” He said before giving the cylinder back to Riku and walking off. 

Riku and Iori leaned in closer to one another. “What do you think could be on them?” Riku asked excitedly. Iori shook his head. “I have no idea, but maybe it’s another clue?” He suggested. “Maybe it tells us how to solve the puzzle box?” Riku also suggested. “Either way, I bet it’s not just a coincidence that they were in that chest with the puzzle box.” Iori said. 

That’s when Akihiko returned, holding a book in one hand while using the other to flip through the pages. “Here we go!” He said as he put the book down onto the table and pointed at one of the pictures. “That’s a phonograph.” He said. On the picture was some sort of device, it looked like a wooden box with some metal contraption on top, as well as a big metallic horn attached to the top. 

“They’re rare, but some people see them as collectibles, so it’s definitely a possibility to find one.” Akihiko said, but then there was the sound of an alarm going off. “Oh, the tea!” Akihiko exclaimed as he ran off to take care of the tea. 

In the meantime, Iori pointed at the phonograph in the picture with a smile. “We’re in luck, Nanase-san. Guess where I’ve seen one of those before.” He said with a smirk. Riku responded with a knowing smile, for he had also seen one before. “There’s one in the attic, isn’t there?” He said. Iori nodded. They’d have to back up there again tonight. 

“So, how are we going to get in there without the key?” Iori asked in a whisper as he and Riku walked up to the door leading to the attic that same night. “Remember the first time I went into the attic?” Riku asked and Iori nodded. “Do you recall how I got out that time after Yaotome-san locked me in?” He asked with a smirk as he pulled out some bobby pins. 

Iori let out an amused huff. “You’re seriously going to try and pick the lock?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “I managed to do it once already, so I know it’s not impossible. Besides, now that Tsukumo has his key back, there’s no reason for him to believe anyone is sneaking up there anymore.” Riku explained. 

“Aren’t you getting more and more daring?” He asked. Riku smirked as he bent down and started working on the lock. “I guess once you’ve done it for the first time, it doesn’t seem like as big of a deal anymore.” He said. “Yeah… Better not be making a habit out of breaking the rules though.” Iori commented, but there was no bite in it, only teasing. 

Riku rolled his eyes. “You know I’m only…” Riku said before they heard a click, making Riku stand up with a proud look on his face. “Breaking the rules for the sake of an old lady.” He said amusedly. Iori chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, let’s just get going.” He said before walking up the familiar stairs to the attic. 

“Besides,” Riku started. “I don’t think you have any right to criticize me.” He said. Iori turned around, his eyebrows raised in question and his lips pursed to hold back a smile. “Oh yeah? Why not?” He asked. “Because, Izumi Iori, you are just as guilty as I am.” Riku said, giving Iori’s shoulder a light pat as he passed him into the main room of the attic. 

Iori laughed and followed him through the various piles of object. “So, do you remember where you saw this phonograph thing before?” Riku asked. Iori shook his head. “No, just that it was the other day when we were looking for the chest, so it’s one of those five piles, because those were the ones I went through.” He said. 

Riku sighed. “Are you kidding me? That’s a lot of stuff…” He said, already tired of this. “Well, I figure it’s quite big and difficult to mistake for something else, so it’ll probably turn up sooner, rather than later. Besides, it only took me, what? 30 minutes to go through them all?” Iori said. 

Riku nodded and then they started digging through the piles again. Luckily, they only had to do so for about ten minutes. “Nanase-san, I think I found it!” Iori exclaimed. Riku looked up and excitedly made his way over to the other. “Really? That’s amazing! Where is it?” He asked enthusiastically. 

Iori then proudly held up a wooden box with a metal contraption on top that looked familiar to what Akihiko had shown them earlier that day. “Now we can play the cylinders.” Iori said. “Yeah, just one thing…” Riku then said, looking skeptically at Iori, who just gave him a questioning look. “Iori, it’s missing its horn, which was literally the most noticeable part.” Riku then stated with a deadpan expression. 

Iori proceeded to put the machine down and roll his eyes. “It’s not gone, it’s right here.” He said, holing up a metallic horn. “It can be detached and reattached. We just have to put it back on.” He explained. “Oh…” Riku said, as he understood his mistake. 

The two then spent the next few minutes trying to assemble the machine, which had not been as easy as Iori made it out to be. Though they still succeeded in the end. “We did it!” Riku exclaimed as they got it all settled. Iori turned and looked at Riku, his expression both serious and excited. “You ready to see what’s on those cylinders?” He asked and Riku didn’t hesitate for a second to give him a nod. 

“They’re numbered, this one has the number ‘1’ on it.” Riku said and handed Iori one of the boxes. Iori opened it and carefully pulled out the black wax cylinder from the box before just as carefully placing it onto the machine and moved the tiny needle that it would trace the patterns on the cylinder to create sound onto its surface. As he then hovered his finger above the button that would start it he turned to look at Riku. p>“Are you ready?” He then asked. Riku nodded seriously. “Yes, I want to know what’s on there.” He said. Iori nodded in affirmation, and for another second the atmosphere was tense in anticipation. Then Iori pressed down the button, starting the machine. 

“SSSSKKRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” 

Iori and Riku quickly covered their ears as the machine let out a loud screeching sound that almost sounded like someone screaming. “Turn it off!” Riku yelled at Iori over the sound of the machine. Iori pressed the button again, but nothing happened. “It doesn’t do anything!” He yelled back. 

Riku panicked, the sound was way too loud, they could probably hear it all the way to the first floor of the house. In his panic, Riku reached across and forcefully pulled the metal horn off of the machine, thus stopping the sound. 

Iori and Riku were wide-eyed and panting. “What was that?” Riku asked. Iori shook his head. “I have no idea, maybe there’s something wrong with the recording, or maybe we just didn’t assemble the machine right… I think.” He said. 

“Shh!” Riku then shushed him. They both sat quietly and listened for a few seconds, before they looked up at one another in panic. “Footsteps!” Iori exclaimed. “Tsukumo!” Riku then also exclaimed. They hurried to collect their stuff, the chest with cylinders and the phonograph, but before they could leave, they heard the door to the attic open. 

“Quick! The hidden room!” Riku exclaimed as he pulled out his locket and opened the secret door into the hidden room in the attic. The wall closed behind them, Iori put all of the stuff onto the floor and then both boys were as silent as they could be, listening for any movement outside. 

They could hear feet shuffling around outside, which was unnerving, but that wasn’t all. The room they had been forced to hide in was small, and there really wasn’t much space for them to occupy, and so, Iori and Riku stood pressed up against each other, both holding their breath in fear of being discovered. 

Almost fifteen minutes passed before they heard whoever was out there, presumably Tsukumo, sigh and grunt and then walk away. They heard the door to the main room of the attic close, then someone descending the stairs, and finally the second door opening and closing. 

Both Iori and Riku simultaneously let out a breath of relief. “Oh god, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. That was way too close.” Riku said. “Let’s make sure that the machine actually works before trying to play the cylinders again, shall we?” Iori asked. Riku let out a breathy laugh and nodded in agreement. “That seems like a good idea, yeah.” 

It was only once they’d both calmed down that they noticed how truly close they were standing. Iori blushed and averted his gaze. “Think you could, uhm, open the door again?” He asked awkwardly. Riku nodded, he was just as flushed as Iori as he fished his locket out and turned around, with a bit of difficulty, his hips bumped against Iori’s on multiple occasions, much to Riku’s embarrassment. 

As Riku placed the locket against the wall, opening the way into the attic once more, he let out a huge sigh of relief and stepped out, instantly becoming colder as he no longer had someone pressed up against him. He would be lying if he said he didn’t quite miss it. 

Iori stepped out as well, the traces of a blush still visible on his face. “Let’s uh, let’s leave the things in the hidden room, just to be safe, okay?” Iori suggested, just to start some sort of conversation. “Yeah, that’ll be for the best.” Riku said and closed the door once he and Iori had gotten the stuff they wanted to bring with them downstairs, leaving the cylinders, the phonograph and the painting in the attic. 

The two boys headed downstairs after that, being extra careful to make sure no one was watching. Once they were safely out in the hallway of the second floor, they breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll look into phonographs and wax cylinders, see if I can find what could have gone wrong tonight.” Iori said. Riku nodded. “That’ll be great, I’ll keep trying to figure out the puzzle box in the meantime.” Riku then said and Iori agreed. 

“Well then, see you tomorrow. Good night.” Iori said as he turned around and left. “Good night! Be careful getting past Tsukumo!” Riku called out, and it was only when he could no longer see Iori that he turned around and walked back to his own bedroom. 

Iori couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened that night, for various reasons. Reason number one, his heart was still recovering from almost having been discovered by Tsukumo. Reason number two, he couldn’t wait to go research the phonograph, he really wanted to know what was on those cylinders. Reason number three, the final reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the feeling of Riku’s body pressed up against his own out of his mind. 

Iori sighed and buried his head into his hands. Iori was starting to understand why the redhead was making him feel flustered, why his eyes seemed to seek him out in a crowd and why he felt so happy from making Riku happy. But even though he started to suspect what was happening, it didn’t make it any easier to accept it. 

Iori entered his bedroom, taking extra care to be as silent as possible. Not that it would have mattered much though, as the moment Iori entered, he saw Tamaki sitting up in his bed, staring straight at Iori. “Yotsuba-san?” Iori asked startled as their eyes met. 

Tamaki pouted. “What did you and Rikkun do now?” He asked, sounding annoyed. Iori looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just had to go to the bathroom is all.” It was the best excuse Iori could come up with, he just hoped his friend would accept it. That didn’t seem to be the case though, as Tamaki just glared at him suspiciously. 

“You went to the bathroom?” Tamaki asked skeptically. Iori nodded. “For over 25 minutes?” Tamaki then asked. Iori flushed and cleared his throat. “Stomachache.” Iori answered. Tamaki groaned. “Come on! I was woken up by that loud sound a while back and you were gone, and then you didn’t come back for 25 minutes! Who knows how long you were gone before that? I’m an idiot, but I’m not that oblivious. I can tell you’re lying.” He said. 

Iori sighed and lay down in his own bed, turning his back to Tamaki. “If you know that, then you also know that I can’t talk about it, so why did you even bother asking? Good night, Yotsuba-san.” Iori said. He could hear Tamaki huff in frustration, but the blue-haired boy didn’t say anything more that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki sure is being adamant... You'll have to wait until Saturday to see what happens next though, as that's when I'll be back with a new chapter! ^^ Did anyone of you figure out the cylinders were actually phonographic cylinders? Did any of you know they existed before this? (I didn't before I watched HoA...) Either way, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, thank you for leaving comments and kudos! they make me so happy! <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku try to figure out what happened with the phonograph the previous night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people, I'm back with the next chapter! Please enjoy, and if you have any questions or want to talk, you can contact me using my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next morning came, and at breakfast, people were discussing what the loud screeching noise last night could have been. Iori and Riku both joined the conversations and gave their own, albeit made up, theories on what it was as to not seem suspicious. Eventually, it was time for school, and everything was rather uneventful.

Once school ended, Iori walked to the library, trying to find information on the phonograph and how to properly play the cylinders. Meanwhile, Riku sneaked into one of the bathroom stalls in school and pulled out the puzzle box. Why the toilet stalls at school? He needed to be alone and he knew Nagi was going to use their room to binge an anime with Yamato and Mitsuki that afternoon, and he couldn’t lock himself in a toilet in the house, or he’d most likely be chased out every five minutes. 

Riku was pretty sure that he’d already tried every possible combination at this point, but he started trying them again. After a while he sighed, maybe you weren’t supposed to put in a combination at all? Maybe you couldn’t even open it. Riku tried pulling on the different parts, to see if he could force it open, but alas, no such luck. 

Riku was just about to give up when he heard a very familiar sound. A familiar, yet alarming sound. The sound of a camera shutter. 

Riku quickly looked up, only to see his classmate, Tamaki, presumably standing on the toilet in the next stall so that he could lean over the top of the cubicle and see into Riku’s stall. Tamaki was holding his phone, and Riku realized he must have taken a picture. “Rikkun, what is that?” He asked curiously. 

Riku silently cursed as he put the puzzle box away and exited the stall. Tamaki did the same. “What are you doing? Were you spying on me?” Riku asked. Tamaki frowned. “I wasn’t going to watch you use the toilet.” He said. Riku just blinked in confusion. “Then why did you look over the top of the stall? And why did you take a picture?” He asked, sounding more desperate than he’d intended too. 

Tamaki did look slightly guilty at that, so at least he probably knew that he shouldn’t have peeked. “I’m sorry, okay? But I just want to help you! I don’t know what you and Iorin are doing that's so secret, but I feel left out… I was really happy when you transferred here, you know? Because it was really just me and Iorin during school, since Tenten didn’t really speak to us… And then you two started doing your own thing, and I was just sort of left to be by myself all the time…” Tamaki explained and Riku felt a bit bad. 

“I know! And I’m really sorry for that! It’s just, we’re doing this thing, and it’s quite serious and very secret and I’ve already taken a risk in letting Iori join! I don’t want to involve more people than I need to.” Riku tried to explain. “But I can keep a secret! I’m great at keeping secrets! I have this secret of my own that I haven’t told anyone ever! Not even Iori or Sou-chan knows, and they’re like my best friends!” Tamaki started. 

“Tamaki, you don’t need to-” Riku started, but Tamaki went ahead with it anyway. “My mom died when I was really little, which I guess isn’t really a secret, the secret is about my dad! I usually tell people he’s missing, but he’s actually in jail!” Tamaki admitted. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “Oh god, I’m really sorry about that. I don’t really know what to say, but Tamaki, it’s not that I don’t trust you, I’m sure you can keep a secret, it’s mostly that I’ve been told it’s dangerous, what I’m doing that is, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Riku said, he really wasn’t sure what more he could do at this point. 

“If it’s dangerous, then that’s just a bigger reason why I should help! Besides, I bet I’m stronger than both you and Iorin!” Tamaki said as he proudly puffed out his chest. Riku couldn’t help but smile and chuckle weakly at that. “Please! I really promise I won’t tell anyone! I swear on my little sister, and she’s the only family I’ve got left! I want to help you and Iorin with whatever this is!” He exclaimed. 

And that was it. Riku caved. He couldn’t take this anymore, and so, he told Tamaki everything. He told him about Sara and the locket, about her warning, about the treasure, about his and Iori’s trips to the attic and about the clues. All the while, Tamaki looked on in awe. 

“Do you get it now? You really can’t tell anyone!” Riku said at the end. Tamaki nodded seriously. “I get it! I won’t tell anyone!” He said. Riku sighed and nodded. “Okay, then it’s fine. But Tamaki, we really need to be careful with this, me and Iori think that maybe Tsukumo is the person that Sara warned us about, so he especially can’t find out what we’re doing.” Riku said. 

“So, don’t let anyone know about it, and watch out for Tsukumo, right? Sounds just like my midnight snack hunts.” Tamaki said. Riku snorted. “Yeah, but this is a lot more serious than your midnight snack hunts.” He said with a smile. Tamaki grinned, and it was at that moment that his stomach decided to make a loud rumbling sound. 

“Speaking of,” Tamaki started. “I’m famished, so I think I’m going to head back to the house. Let me know if you solve anything, or if you’re going to do something, you know, like looking for treasure and the like.” He said. Riku smiled awkwardly and nodded, and then Tamaki was off. 

Riku sighed. “I should probably go tell Iori about this…” He whispered to himself before leaving the toilets and heading for the library. Once there, Riku spotted the other boy almost immediately. “Iori!” He called out as he got closer, keeping his volume down since they were in the library. 

Iori looked up and smiled upon seeing Riku. “Nanase-san, I was just about to go find you!” He said, and he was about to continue before Riku stopped him. “Before you say anything more,” The redhead interrupted Iori. “Something sort of happened. Something that you should know about.” He said. 

Iori frowned. “You look worried, what’s wrong?” He asked in concern. Riku sighed. “Actually, I’m not sure yet whether I’m happy I did this, or if I should have been more persistent. It’s a mix, I’m a bit relieved, but also a bit concerned.” He started explaining. 

Iori nodded. “Okay, I still don’t get it, so, please, do go on.” He said. “ItoldTamakiaboutthetreasure…” Riku mumbled out in a low voice, so fast and low in fact, that Iori had no idea what Riku had just said. “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to repeat that.” He said. 

Riku sighed. “I told Tamaki everything! About Sara and the treasure and what we’ve been doing!” He admitted. “What?!” Iori asked in shock, earning a glare from the librarian. Iori leaned closer to Riku and lowered his voice. “I thought we weren’t telling anyone else? What happened?” He asked. 

Riku shook his head. “He caught me with the puzzle box earlier and confronted me about it. He was being so adamant, and I felt really bad! I mean, he has tried to spend more time with us, and I think he feels lonely. I know how much it sucks to be lonely, and I guess I just caved under the pressure.” Riku explained. “Do you think I made a mistake?” He asked. 

Iori sighed and leaned back. “Honestly? I’m not that opposed. Yotsuba-san is oblivious, and not the brightest, but he’s kind and loyal, I’ll give him that. If he’s really serious, then he won’t tell anyone. And honestly, it was getting more and more difficult to hide this from him anyway, he wasn’t just about to let what he already knew go.” He said. 

“So, you’re saying it was just a matter of time until he learned the truth?” Riku asked. “I suppose, at least I felt that way.” Iori said. “And you believe we can trust him?” Riku asked as well. Iori nodded. “Yes, I think so. At least I’m certain he would never intentionally tell anyone.” He said. 

Riku smiled. “Okay. Thank you, that makes me feel a bit better.” Riku admitted. Iori smiled back. “Do you want some good news to make you feel even better than you do now?” Iori asked with a small smirk. Riku perked up at that and nodded enthusiastically. 

Iori’s expression turned proud. “I figured out how to play the cylinders.” He said. Upon hearing that, Riku smiled excitedly. “Really? You did?” He asked in awe. While he had expected Iori to come up with something, he hadn’t expected him to be so quick. “I believe that there’s nothing wrong with the machine, it’s just not been used for a very long time. If you give me ten to fifteen minutes to work with it, I’m positive I can get it to play those cylinders.” Iori said confidently. 

“Then let’s go back up tonight! I can’t wait to find out what’s recorded on the cylinders!” Riku exclaimed and Iori agreed. “Yeah, I also think that the sooner we do it, the better.” He said. Riku was now really excited again. Hopefully those cylinders would give them some answers. 

Then, Riku remembered something. “What about Tamaki? Should we tell him and ask him to join us?” Riku asked Iori, who seemed to consider the options for a while. “I’m not sure… He’d be upset if we didn’t tell him, but if I can’t fix it and we hear that loud screeching sound again, he would absolutely freak out. He’s already a bit of a coward, so maybe we should wait a bit…” Iori said. 

“Like, ease him into it a bit?” Riku asked and Iori nodded. “That might be a good idea, yeah. We’ll tell him about the cylinders tomorrow, so that he’ll feel included.” Iori said. Riku nodded, but he did feel a bit guilty about not inviting Tamaki tonight, now that he knew what they were doing. 

Iori and Riku were sat on the floor of the attic, behind one of the biggest piles of rubble up there. Iori was still working on making sure the phonograph would work, and Riku was watching, though he wasn’t really paying attention to what Iori was doing. When Iori heard Riku sigh for the seventh time in the last ten minutes when he’d been working on the machine, he decided to ask him about it. 

“What’s up?” He asked as he stopped working for the time being to focus on Riku. Riku was then pulled out of his stupor by Iori’s voice and blinked up at the other. “Hm?” He hummed in confusion. Iori rolled his eyes. “You were spacing out. And sighing. Is something wrong?” He asked. 

Riku chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. “Nothing’s wrong, per se… I was just… I was thinking that maybe we should have brought Tamaki up here after all. I feel guilty for not telling him about tonight! He seemed really eager to help!” Riku explained. Iori sighed. “And he can start helping tomorrow! We’ll apologize together while telling him about what we discovered tonight.” Iori said. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, thanks…” He said. Iori then went back to fixing the machine, and about five minutes later, he was finished. “There we go! I think everything should work perfectly now.” He said proudly. 

Riku smiled brightly and pulled Iori in for a hug. “Oh my god! Iori, you’re amazing! It would have taken me weeks to figure out how to do that, if I even could figure it out.” Riku exclaimed. Iori flushed at the praise and the close proximity. The fact that he was starting to understand just what he felt for the other boy didn’t help his situation either. 

“Don’t get too excited just yet, we haven’t even tried it.” Iori said, trying to push Riku off of him, not because he didn’t enjoy the contact, but because it was doing things to his insides. When Riku pulled away, he still smiled sweetly at Iori. “I’m sure it works! You said it should work, after all.” He said. 

Iori was about to reply with something, but he was interrupted by the door to the attic opening, and not the one downstairs, the one that led to the main room. Somehow, Iori and Riku had not heard someone entering the other door nor them coming up the stairs. For now, they were hidden behind the biggest pile in the room, but they’d have no chance to get to the hidden room without the other person in the room noticing. 

Iori and Riku held their breaths and slowly turned around to see who was coming, though they already had a pretty good idea of who it would be. That’s why they were both so surprised when they saw Tamaki standing in front of them a minute later, holding a flashlight and a net full of garlics. “Tamaki.” Riku exclaimed in both relief and disbelief as their eyes met. 

Tamaki almost looked startled upon discovering them, but then he visibly relaxed. “Oh, thank god I found you two! Don’t make me go up here alone again! Seriously, this place is so creepy, how did you two manage to go here so many times by yourselves?” He exclaimed as he sat down beside them. 

Iori stared at Tamaki with a dumbfounded expression. “Yotsuba-san…” He started, making Tamaki look at him. “Yeah?” He asked. “What are you doing up here?” Iori then asked. Tamaki blinked. “Well, I woke up when you left the room, and figured this was where you went, so I decided to follow you. Though, I have to admit, I almost turned back when I saw the stairs up to the attic, this place is seriously scary!” He said. 

“Well, you scared us to death! If you knew I went, why didn’t you call out to me? Or you could have texted that you were coming up! We thought you were Tsukumo!” Iori said, sounding a bit upset. 

Tamaki smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…” He said. Iori was about to argue some more, but Riku interrupted him. “Well, you’re here now, so let’s not argue about it and just be glad that it wasn’t actually Tsukumo. Also, we’re really sorry for not telling you about our plans tonight, Tamaki! We were going to have you properly start tomorrow, when both me and Iori could be there!” Riku tried to explain. 

Tamaki shook his head. “It’s fine, and I know I sort of forced my way into this, so I’m sorry for being so forceful… But I promise I’ll be of help! And I won’t tell anyone!” He said, looking determined as he did. 

“We’re glad to have you. Sorry we left you out for so long.” Riku said and Iori just sighed. “By the way, Yotsuba-san.” Iori addressed Tamaki. “What?” Tamaki asked confusedly. “Why do you carry a net full of garlic and a cup of pudding?” Iori asked, giving the blue-haired boy a deadpan expression. 

“The pudding is emergency food! If we got stuck up here, you know? And the garlic is to protect myself from the ghosts.” Tamaki explained seriously, after which he looked around the room cautiously. Iori and Riku both looked at each other, Iori in disbelief and Riku in slight amusement. 

“Actually, I think it’s vampires that are weak against garlic, not ghosts.” Riku said, giving Tamaki an apologetic smile. “Seriously?” Tamaki asked and Riku nodded. “Also, what is a single pudding cup going to do if we get stuck up here?” Iori then asked. Tamaki brightened up. “You’re right, next time I’ll bring multiple pudding cups! Good thinking, Iorin.” Tamaki said and patted Iori on the back. 

Iori just sighed and shook his head at his friend’s antics, what made it worse was that Iori knew that Tamaki was a hundred percent serious about it. _‘Is this really going to be okay?’_ Iori thought to himself. Meanwhile, Riku chuckled and thanked Tamaki for thinking about food rations, just in case. 

“Can we get started with what we actually came here for now?” Iori soon asked impatiently. Riku turned back to him and nodded. Tamaki excitedly looked down on the machine on the floor. “Oh, is that the phonogram you told me about? The one that plays the round things?” He asked. 

Iori facepalmed. “It’s called a phonograph, not phonogram, and it plays the cylinders, yes.” He explained. Tamaki didn’t look like he’d been offended by Iori, so Riku just let them be. It was kind of nice, he thought, like the mood was much lighter now that Tamaki had joined them. It made Riku relax, he just hoped he wouldn’t become too relaxed so that he wouldn’t be on his guard. 

Iori once again prepped the machine, making sure that everything looked like it should before taking the cylinder that was numbered '1' and put it on the phonograph. “Here goes nothing. Nanase-san, be ready to rip off the horn again if it starts screeching.” Iori said. Riku nodded and held out a hand, showing that he was ready to rip it off in a second if something still wasn’t right. 

Iori pressed the button and everything was silent. There was some sort of static-like sound coming from the horn, but it was a lot different from last night. Tamaki gulped, clearly feeling nervous now that the mood had turned more serious. “Is this how it’s supposed to be?” Riku asked. Iori shook his head. “I think this is how it sounds if there’s nothing recorded. Maybe something will come soon? Let’s listen to the entire cylinder, and if there’s still nothing, then we switch to the next.” He said. 

Riku nodded, but right then, they heard something. It was no longer only static coming through the horn, it was also some sort of shuffling sound. And then they heard a voice. _“Mother and father have given the house a name, Anubis.”_ The voice belonged to a little girl. Iori and Riku looked excitedly at each other while Tamaki shivered, feeling a bit spooked. 

The voice on the recordings continued. _“They’re going away again soon, to Egypt, I think. Father says he has to for his work.”_ She said and then there was another pause. “It has to be the daughter!” Riku whispered. “The daughter of Watanabe Ritsu and Akiko? The girl in the painting?” Iori asked and Riku nodded. “It has to be! She said her parents named the house ‘Anubis’ and that they’re working in Egypt.” Riku explained and Iori agreed. 

_“When they go, I’ll be on my own again. Alone with him. I don’t want to stay here, I’m frightened of what will happen to me. I wish my parents could come back, I think of them every night when I try to sleep.”_ The girl on the recording said, and then the machine quieted down and the cylinder stopped spinning. 

“What happened? Did it break?” Tamaki asked in confusion. Riku looked at Iori in concern. “Iori? Is something wrong with it?” He asked worriedly. But Iori remained calm and simply shook his head. “No, it’s not broken. I think that was everything that was recorded onto that one cylinder.” He explained. 

Riku and Tamaki both visibly relaxed as he told them what had happened. “Oh.” They both unanimously said. “But oh my god, that was so creepy!” Tamaki then exclaimed. Iori rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d find it scary, you get scared by your own pillow when you wake up in the middle of the night.” He said, making Tamaki pout. 

“These cylinders…” Riku started, picking a few of them up into his hands. “They have to be an audio diary that belonged to the daughter of the Watanabes. The girl who was the final owner of this house.” Riku said. Iori and Tamaki nodded in agreement. However, Riku then turned sad. “She sounded so scared, and lonely.” He said. 

Iori reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Riku’s shoulder. “I think that’s enough for tonight, yeah? We know it works now, so let’s come back and listen to some more some other day.” He said. Riku smiled sadly at him and nodded. 

After that, all three of them cleaned up their stuff and moved the phonograph and the cylinders back inside the hidden room. Then the three left the attic, Riku making sure to get the door locked before they went their separate ways, Iori and Tamaki heading downstairs while Riku walked into the room he shared with Nagi. 

A few days passed and it was now Sunday afternoon. Ever since Riku, Iori and Tamaki listened to the first cylinder, Tsukumo had seemingly decided to start heading up to the attic. Every single night. Thus, the three hadn’t had a chance to go back there for a while, and Riku was starting to feel really antsy. 

Nagi and Sougo were working on a school project and were thus in the library. Because of this, Riku had asked Iori and Tamaki to come to his room so that they could talk about what to do next. “Have you been waiting for a chance to get this room alone so that we could hold a meeting?” Iori asked and Riku nodded. 

Iori raised an eyebrow. “You know Tamaki and I are roommates, right? We could have just met in our room.” He stated. Riku blinked up at him from where he sat on the bed, and then erupted into an embarrassed blush. “Oh my god, I’m such an idiot.” He exclaimed. Iori laughed and sat down beside him. “It’s fine, besides, it wasn’t until today I thought of a solution to our dilemma anyway.” He said. 

Riku looked at Iori with wide eyes. “You know what to do about Tsukumo?” Riku asked. Iori frowned. “Well, not about Tsukumo exactly, but I figured out a way for us to not have to go up to the attic every other night.” He said. Riku nodded and motioned for him to continue. Iori did so. 

“Okay, so, the only thing that’s making us go up there is the fact that the cylinders and the phonograph are up there, right?” He asked. Riku nodded. “Yes, but if you’re suggesting we move down the phonograph, I have to say that I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s too big to easily hide.” He said. 

“That’s not what I was going to suggest.” Iori started, relieving Riku. “Based on the length of those cylinders, we could probably go through them all in one night. So, what if we record them onto one of our phones so that we don’t have to go back up there every time we want to hear them again?” Iori suggested. 

Riku smiled brightly at that. “That’s such a good idea! Then we don’t have to risk going up there as often! Iori, you’re amazing!” Riku exclaimed, once again giving Iori a hug. Iori wasn’t sure how long he was going to last if the redhead hugged him every time he did something good. 

The moment was broken by the sound of knocking. Iori and Riku separated and turned to the door, but when the knocking came a second time, they realized that it didn’t come from the door at all. It came from behind them. Both Iori and Riku turned around with questioning looks, only to see Tamaki with an ear against the wall knocking as he went along. 

“Tamaki, what are you doing?” Riku asked. “Knocking to see if there’s a hollow space behind the wall. Like there is in the attic! If we can’t make any progress with the cylinders due to Tsukumo, couldn’t we look elsewhere?” Tamaki suggested. 

Iori sighed. “Stop that before you make Tsukumo come here, asking about the noise.” Iori complained. Tamaki rolled his eyes. “If he comes, we can just say we’re studying together, we have all the same classes anyway.” He said, as if that justified him making a ruckus. 

That was when Tamaki noticed something. In the corner of the room, one bottom corner of the tapestry was loose and could easily be pried away. Tamaki let his curiosity get the best of him and started pulling. What he saw underneath made his eyes widen in shock. “Rikkun, Iorin, I think I found something.” He said. 

Iori and Riku walked over to him calmly, both being a bit skeptic that he’d actually managed to find anything at all. When they reached Tamaki however, their doubts were completely blown away. “What the-?” Iori exclaimed. “Oh my god…” Riku whispered. 

On the wall, behind the tapestry, there were carvings in the wall. Lines were carved at the bottom, as if someone had been counting days, and above it was an engraved message. Riku started reading it out loud. “Help me. – Watanabe Sara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! Tamaki joined them, so now he doesn't have to be lonely anymore ^^ And finally they got the mysterious cylinders to work... What will happen next? Well, I'll be back with that on Wednesday, so look forward to that ;) Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it, and thank you again for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori, Riku and Tamaki realize the truth about Sara, and when they go up to the attic to record the cylinders, they learn something frightening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Wednesday, meaning I'm back with a new update! I hope all of you have been good and that you're looking forward to this chapter. With that said, please enjoy! If you have any questions or want to talk, please contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

It was dead silent as Riku, Iori and Tamaki all stared at the wall, the message on there having shocked them an awful lot. “Watanabe Sara? You don’t think that’s…?” Iori asked after another minute of silence. “The Watanabes’ daughter? The girl who is probably on the recordings?” Riku suggested and Iori nodded. “I don’t know, but I think it might be.” Riku finished.

“Do you think she lived here? Like, in this room?” Tamaki asked. “Well, we won’t know for sure from a single message carved in the wall, but it’s possible.” Iori answered. “Good job finding that.” He then added, making Tamaki smile proudly. “I knew I could find something useful!” He said. Iori rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at his friend. 

Riku however, was still staring seriously at the message. When Iori and Tamaki noticed that, they first looked to each other with questioning looks, but then turned to check on Riku. “Rikkun, what are you doing?” Tamaki asked. “Is something wrong, Nanase-san?” Iori followed. 

Riku slowly shook his head, but he looked troubled. “I was just thinking…” He said. Iori and Tamaki waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn’t say anything more they decided to just ask. “Thinking about what?” Iori asked as he placed a hand on Riku’s shoulder. 

Riku shook his head again, this time turning to look at Iori and Tamaki with a smile. “I’ll tell you about it later, I just need to think things through for a while. Is that okay?” Riku asked. Tamaki agreed and said it was fine, Iori looked a bit more skeptical, but he too agreed that he would wait for Riku to collect his thoughts. 

“Still,” Riku started after another short period of silence. “I wonder what she was so afraid of… She said on the recordings that ‘he frightened her’, but who is ‘he’?” Riku asked. “I have no idea, but she said she had been alone with him here, could he maybe have been another family member?” Iori suggested. 

Riku shook his head. “I don’t think so. The Watanabes were only Ritsu, Akiko and their daughter, presumably named Sara. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” He said. “Maybe it was someone who worked for them? The Watanabes were pretty rich, right? They got this place after all. Maybe it was a babysitter or a cleaner?” Tamaki suggested. 

Riku shrugged. “Maybe, I mean, it’s a possibility, but we really can’t make any assumptions until we know more.” He said. Iori nodded. “That’s true, but I think Yotsuba-san is really onto something. It seems like the one she was scared of was someone who was taking care of her while her parents were away.” He said. 

Riku thought about it for a while, thought about the little girl all alone in this house, alone with a man she was scared of. He thought of her parents, who left her for their work, and maybe for other things as well. “Hey Iori, remember when you and I were looking through old articles about the Watanabes?” Riku asked. 

Iori nodded. “Yeah, what about it?” He asked. “Did you find anything on what happened with them? The Watanabes that is. I know that they died, but did you find anything on when and how? And did Sara die too?” Riku asked. 

“Well,” Iori started as he thought back to that day in the library. “I think they died in 1922, and I’m pretty sure they died in some sort of accident. I don’t think their daughter was involved in said accident though.” He said. Riku nodded. “I see… If they died in 1922, it has to have been shortly after the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb, right?” He said. 

“Yes, it must have been right after they got back.” Iori confirmed. Riku sat back down on the bed and looked down on the floor. “Why do you think the cylinders were in the chest with the puzzle box? Do you think the daughter left the clues?” He asked. “Maybe.” Iori said as he sat down beside Riku. “Maybe her parents gave it to her, and she hid it from the man who scared her?” He suggested. 

Riku frowned. “I don’t know… Something doesn’t feel right.” He said. Iori rubbed Riku’s back, comforting him. “We’ll figure something out. As soon as we get a chance, we’ll go up to the attic and record the rest of the cylinders. Then we’ll figure out what to do after that. It’ll come together in the end, we’ll make sure it does.” The raven-haired boy said. 

Riku nodded. “You’re right… Thank you, Iori.” Riku said with a gracious smile as he leaned into Iori’s touch. Tamaki chuckled. “I think I’m starting to understand where Nagicchi got his ideas from…” He whispered so that Iori and Riku wouldn’t hear him. 

The three stayed and talked about the Watanabes, the cylinders and the treasure for a while after that, then, before leaving, they made sure to put the piece of tapestry back in place, so that others wouldn’t ask questions about it. Once that was done, they headed down for dinner. 

Everyone was already there when they got down, and they didn’t waste any time to get started, especially not Tamaki. It was about twenty minutes later that Tsukumo came down, wearing his coat and calling for Tsumugi. “What is it?” Tsumugi asked as she came out of the kitchen. 

“I’m going out tonight, won’t be back until really late.” He started. “Can you stay late? Make sure they” He said, gesturing to the boys who were seated at the table. “Go to bed at ten and then stay in their rooms.” He instructed. 

Tsumugi nodded. “I can stay a little past ten, but probably not until you get back. I have to leave at ten thirty, as latest. Is that okay?” She asked. Tsukumo sighed but nodded. “That’ll have to do.” He said before turning to the boys, glaring at them. “You boys better behave. If I find something awry when I come back, you know what will happen.” He said, holding up a toothbrush as he did. 

“Yes, Sir.” They all replied and then Tsukumo left. Once dinner was finished and some of the guys were helping Tsumugi clean up, Iori, Riku and Tamaki all got together in a quiet corner of the room. “Tonight’s our chance!” Riku exclaimed. “We can’t ask for a better opportunity, let’s wait until Tsumugi leaves, and then go back up to the attic.” Iori agreed. 

“You guys can come upstairs once she leaves, I’ll have to wait for Nagi to go to sleep. Unless he decides to binge some anime, he usually does so pretty quickly.” Riku said. Iori and Tamaki nodded. Hopefully they’d have enough time to record all of the cylinders tonight. 

That night, Iori, Riku and Tamaki managed to get up to the attic a little bit before 11. They’d at least have an hour, as Tsukumo definitely wouldn’t be back until after midnight. The three of them wasted no time in getting the cylinders and the phonograph out from the hidden room and setting everything up. 

They sat down on the floor in front of the machine, Iori in the middle, Riku on his right and Tamaki on his left. They decided to record on Iori’s mobile phone, as it was the one that had the best sound quality. Iori got it out and then pressed record the moment he started the first cylinder. 

They started to record the one that they had already listened to, just to have it on there, and then they moved on to the one marked ‘#2’. They sat down and listened to the voice. _“Mother and Father have given the house a name, Anubis. I think it’s Egyptian.”_ The girl on the cylinders started. 

However, that was when Tamaki let out a big and loud yawn. Iori turned off the phonograph. “Yotsuba-san, we’re going to have to be completely silent while we record, or else we won’t be able to hear the cylinders well enough. We want to get this all done tonight so that we won’t have to go back up here again for a while, now that Tsukumo has decided to occupy it.” Iori scolded. 

Tamaki looked at Iori and Riku apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’ll try to hold it in, but I can’t make any promises… I’m tired, so it’s difficult not to yawn.” He said, looking away sadly. Riku smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine. You can go to sleep if you want, we’ll wake you up when we’re finished here.” He said. 

Tamaki frowned, he clearly didn’t want to go to sleep. However, when he let out another, even bigger yawn, it was becoming apparent that maybe he should anyway. “Okay, thanks, Rikkun.” He said while giving the redhead an apologetic smile. Riku nodded and then motioned for Iori to start the recording again. 

Iori turned back the cylinder so that it would start from the beginning again, and then he turned the phonograph and the recording on his phone on and the voice started again. _“Mother and Father have given the house a name, Anubis. I think it’s Egyptian.”_ The little girl repeated before she kept talking about the house. 

_“I don’t want to stay here, I’m frightened of what will happen to me if I do. I wish my parents could come back. Sometimes I see their faces in the mirror, but I know they’re not there.”_ The girl said. There was a small pause, and Riku couldn’t help but think that her parents must have passed away by the time she recorded this. It made him sad. 

The girl soon started talking again, and what she said next shocked the boys. _“And I know it wasn’t an accident. He did it. He murdered them.”_ She said, and then the phonograph went silent, signaling that everything recorded on that one cylinder had now been played. 

Iori, Riku and Tamaki, who was now wide awake, all stared in shock at the phonograph, almost as if the machine was the one who had committed a murder. “Murdered… Sara’s parents were murdered…” Riku repeated slowly, as if letting it sink in. 

“No way…” Tamaki said. “It wasn’t an accident like Iorin said? Like, somebody actually killed them?” He asked, looking between Iori, Riku and the phonograph. Iori nodded. “At least Sara believed that. And it seems like whoever did it succeeded in covering it up, the article I read is proof enough.” He speculated. 

“The man who killed them, the Watanabes that is…” Riku started, making both Iori and Tamaki turn to him. “It has to be the one she was frightened of, right? The one she mentioned before…” He said. “That’s likely, the way she said, ‘he did it’ was almost exactly the same as when she said ‘he frightens me’.” Iori agreed, and Tamaki nodded, acknowledging that he was right. 

“Actually,” Riku started again. “I’ve been thinking about something ever since Tamaki found that message in our room.” He said. Iori and Tamaki shared a look, then turned to Riku once more. “The one you mentioned earlier? Do you want to talk about it?” Iori asked and Riku nodded, his expression serious. 

“If the Watanabes’ daughter was named Watanabe Sara, don’t you think it is a possibility that the old lady I’ve been talking to at the retirement home, who is also named Sara, is actually the daughter of the Watanabes?” He suggested. A metaphorical lightbulb appeared over first Iori’s head, but Tamaki followed just a few seconds later. 

“Oh my god, that would explain so much… Why didn’t I think of that? It’s so obvious now that you say it.” Iori said, a bit disappointed in himself for not realizing what Riku had about Sara. “I mean,” Riku started. “She said this used to be her house, and Watanabe Sara, as their only child, must have been given everything her parents owned, including the house.” Riku said at first, Iori and Tamaki nodded in agreement. 

Riku continued talking. “And it would explain how she knew about the treasure, and why she had the locket!” Riku exclaimed excitedly, but then he turned sad as he realized just what this meant. “She suffered so much…” He said sadly. 

Iori gently placed a hand on Riku’s knee and started rubbing his thumb in reassuring circles. “What happened to her was indeed sad, but there’s nothing we can do about that.” He said, but then he changed his mind. “Actually, forget that, there is something we can do for her. We can find this treasure, just like she asked us to.” He said determinedly. 

Tamaki smiled an leaned in closer to the other two. “That’s right, Rikkun! Let’s find the treasure and make Sara happy!” He exclaimed while smiling brightly. Riku smiled and wiped some tears that had gathered in his eyes. “You’re right. Thank you.” He said, making both Iori and Tamaki relax a bit. 

“Actually, this got me thinking.” Iori said after a short while. “About what, Iorin?” Tamaki asked while Riku looked questioningly at Iori. “Remember how we thought before that Sara might have hidden the treasure? I think this revelation rules that possibility out. If she hid it, and now wanted us to find it, why not just tell us where it is? Why give you the locket and tell you to find it and protect it?” He asked, looking at Riku. 

“You’re right…” Riku agreed. “It has to have been Watanabe Ritsu or Akiko, or maybe even both of them, who hid the treasure. They must have wanted Sara to find it, but they couldn’t make it too obvious, so that it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.” Riku continued. 

“The wrong hands? Were others also looking for the treasure?” Tamaki asked in confusion. “I think so.” Riku said. “I bet the man Sara was afraid of, the one who supposedly killed her parents, looked for it as well. He had to have been. Maybe that is even why he killed the Watanabes. And maybe that’s also why Sara donated the house, to get away from him.” Riku suggested. 

“That’s likely. Maybe that’s why she never found it… She didn’t get a chance to with that man around, whoever he was.” Iori agreed. Riku sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, after which he rested his chin on them. “But why me? Why did Sara ask me to find it? She freaks out at the idea of it being anybody else, what makes me so special?” He asked. 

Iori shrugged. “Maybe she just sensed you would be able to do it? We can’t really know how she thinks, but for the record, I think she made a great choice.” He said. Tamaki nodded enthusiastically and hummed in agreement. “But I’m not brave, or strong, or all that clever either! I’m just a normal guy with bad asthma and separation issues.” He said. 

“That’s not true, Rikkun! You went up to the attic alone, which was like, super brave if you ask me! The only reason I can be here is because you and Iorin are as well!” Tamaki exclaimed. Iori nodded. “That’s right. You are brave, a lot braver than you think. And you’re adamant, you don’t give up once you’ve set your mind on something. And don’t even get me started on how a guy who managed to get a scholarship to one of the most prestigious schools in the country considers himself stupid.” He said, looking sternly at Riku. 

Riku blushed and looked away. “Still… I can’t help but wonder why she picked me… I mean, she even seemed to know me.” He said. This got a reaction out of Iori. “She knew you? What do you mean? Why haven’t you mentioned that before?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I forgot? But yeah, when I talked to her the first time, she referred to me by my name, even though I never told her.” He explained. 

“Maybe you two have some sort of weird psychic connection.” Tamaki said with a smirk. “Maybe you do… You did say that you were strangely compelled to believe and trust her after she told you about the treasure, right? People wouldn’t normally believe it if a stranger told them there was a treasure hidden in the house they were living in after all.” Iori added. 

Riku nodded, albeit skeptically. “Maybe… One thing’s for sure though, I have to go visit Sara again. I’m going to ask her about the cylinders, try to confirm that it’s actually her voice recorded on them.” He said. Iori and Tamaki agreed. 

“Yes, that’s something we need to do. Also,” Iori started. “We should probably continue with the cylinders for now, try and do as much as possible before Tsukumo returns.” He finished. Riku and Tamaki agreed, and so they put in the next cylinder, made themselves comfortable and got started once more. 

They listened to the first couple of cylinders, though Tamaki fell asleep after just two cylinders once they started again. After three more, Iori felt something soft hit his shoulder. He turned to see Riku leaning against him, presumably also having fallen asleep. Iori figured it was fine, there were eight cylinders left and he could get through them on his own. 

However, it turns out it was extremely hard for him to stay awake as well, and he barely heard a word of the final five cylinders, falling in and out of slumber as he listened. But, in the end, they managed to get them all recorded. Iori yawned and woke Tamaki and Riku, who begrudgingly helped him clean up and then they all walked back downstairs. 

Luckily, Tsukumo hadn’t returned yet, so they could easily sneak down from the attic. And so, the three boys decided that they’d listen to the cylinders that they had recorded that night properly some other time, and that for now, they would all just go to sleep. Tamaki and Iori headed back downstairs as Riku said goodnight and walked over to his own room. 

“Ah, Nanase-kun! Welcome back! It’s been a while since you last visited, have you been busy with school?” Tomiko, the woman who worked at the retirement home asked cheerfully as she saw the redhead approach the home. Riku smiled politely and nodded. “Yeah, something like that. I’ve been rather occupied, so I’m sorry for not visiting as much as I’d like.” He said with an apologetic smile. 

“Oh, don’t you say that! You already visit more than several of these old men and women’s family members do! So don’t feel bad about it, in fact, we are the ones who are grateful that you’re coming back for more visits! Emi has been much more energetic since you started visiting, almost as if a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders! Maybe she was starting to feel lonely.” Tomiko said with a chuckle, winking at Riku near the end. 

Riku nodded and laughed. “Well, she tells lots of interesting stories! Plus, when I started talking to her, I had a pretty hard time making friends at the school… You could say she’s the first friend I made after getting here.” He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. 

Tomiko smiled gently. “Well, it was all their loss, you’re such a sweet boy after all. Come on in, we have a freshly baked batch of raisin and oatmeal cookies, I’ll serve you those with some tea while you talk to Emi, does that sound okay?” Tomiko suggested while she motioned for Riku to come inside. Riku nodded and smiled graciously. “That sounds very nice, thank you.” He said. 

Riku had been there so many times by now that he had learnt the names of everyone who worked there, as well as of all the old people who lived there. He also no longer had to be taken to Sara’s room, he showed himself in whenever he wanted to. And so, while Tomiko went off to get the refreshments, Riku made his way over to Sara’s room. 

Riku knocked on the door but he didn’t get a reply. He frowned and slowly opened the door, maybe she was sleeping? But when Riku peeked inside through the crack in the door he saw that she was not, in fact, asleep. Instead, Sara was sat in her bed, looking out of the window, as if she was daydreaming. 

“Sara?” Riku called out. As she heard Riku’s voice, Sara slowly turned away from the window, only to stare straight at Riku and give him a small, sort of mysterious smile. At that moment, Riku felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was only for an instant, but when Sara looked at him, Riku could for a second clearly see the same girl as the one in the painting he and Iori had found in the attic. The same eyes, the same mysterious smile and the same sort of lonely air about her. They just had to be the same person. 

Riku shook his head to clear his mind, then he walked inside and sat down by Sara’s bedside. “Hello Sara, I’m sorry it’s been a while, but I made some progress. We managed to play the cylinders, we heard the little girl in the recordings! That’s you, isn’t it, Sara?” Riku asked, gently taking her wrinkly hand in his own. 

Sara just kept smiling and looking at him. Riku sighed, maybe today was a bad day, as in it might be a day where she was confused and didn’t remember much about the house or the treasure. It happened sometimes. “Sara, it was your parents who hid the treasure right? Is it because of them that you want me to find it?” He asked, hoping that mentioning her parents might bring about a reaction from the old woman. 

Sara still said nothing, but her eyes did turn very sad and she looked as if her mind was going somewhere else. “Sara, what happened to them? Were they killed?” He asked. While she was still silent, Riku did manage to get a reaction out of her this time, as she nodded and met his eyes after a few seconds. “Is that who you wanted me to watch out for? The man who murdered your parents? Did he also look for the treasure?” Riku asked. 

Once Riku mentioned the man who little Sara talked about on the cylinders, old Sara really reacted. Sara almost looked afraid as she gripped Riku’s hand tighter before she started talking. “Oh, the man who kills! He wants to stay forever… He wants to tip the scales of life…” She said. 

Riku was a bit confused, Sara had mentioned “tipping the scales of life” quite a few times in the past, so Riku was willing to bet it was something important. That being said, he still had no idea what it could possibly mean. “Sara, I don’t understand. What do you mean by that? Who is he? What does it mean to tip the scales of life? Does it have to do with the treasure?” He asked. While he didn’t like to put pressure on Sara like this, he also really wanted answers. 

Sara didn’t answer his questions, but she did say something different after a short while of silence. “Sometimes I see their faces in the mirror, but I know they’re not there.” She said, while sadly looking at the mirror she had put up on one of the walls in her room with a sad expression. 

Riku instantly recognized what Sara had just said as something from the cylinders. “That was on the cylinders! So you really are Watanabe Sara after all!” He exclaimed while squeezing Sara’s hand. Riku was about to start reassuring her that he would definitely find the treasure, that he wouldn’t fail her. However, that was when she broke down. 

As Sara started crying, Riku had no idea what to do. “My mommy is dead.” Sara sobbed. Riku’s heart ached as he saw her like that. She had lost her parents so horribly at such a young age, and he had brought up memories of that horrible experience. He hated making her sad, but Iori was right. They had to find the treasure, for Sara’s sake. And for that to happen, they would need her help. 

Still, today was probably no good. And so, Riku decided to stay until she calmed down, then they had tea and some cookies before he left. He would have to come back and ask more questions some other time, but right now he had to find Iori and Tamaki and tell them what he had found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more things about Sara and her circumstances come to light, but the mystery also goes deeper and deeper... I hope you all enjoyed this and I'll be back on Saturday with the next chapter, which will pick up right where this one left off! Thank you for reading and also thank you for leaving kudos and comments! ^^


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku returns after his visit to Sara, Tamaki has an idea and they find something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell again! It's Saturday, so I'm back with a new chapter! This one will pick up right where the last one left off. ^^ I hope you will enjoy it! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, please contact me using my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Once Riku was finished with his visit to Sara, he rushed back to the school as fast as his lungs would allow him to. He had gone to the retirement home during lunch break, and he’d like to talk to Iori and Tamaki about his visit before class started again in the afternoon. Once Riku got to the school, he found Iori and Tamaki sat down on one of the couches in the school lounge.

Riku called out to them, after which they both looked up and smiled as he came over. Riku practically collapsed in the sofa between Iori and Tamaki, and for a minute, he just sat there, panting hard. Tamaki and Iori both allowed him a while to catch his breath before they started bombarding him with questions. 

Once Riku was calm, however, neither of his friends held back. “How did it go?” Asked Iori. “Is old lady Sara the same as little girl Sara?” Asked Tamaki. “Why did you rush here? Are you okay?” Iori followed. “Did you manage to find anything out from talking to the old woman?” Tamaki continued to ask. 

Riku chuckled. “Guys, I can’t actually tell you if you keep asking me questions all the time! And keep your voices down, will you? We’re not the only ones in the lounge…” Riku scolded, though he wore a soft expression. Tamaki laughed apologetically while Iori blushed and looked away as he realized what he was doing. 

Riku took a deep, calming breath before he started telling them both about his visit. “Okay, so, Sara wasn’t exactly that clear today, she seemed mostly confused, but she is definitely the girl on the recordings. When I asked her questions about them, she started repeating things from the cylinders. Like, word by word. She has to be Watanabe Sara.” He said. 

“That’s great. Did you manage to get anything else out of her?” Iori asked, now even more intrigued. Riku frowned. “Not really, at least nothing concrete. She seemed to know who I was talking about when I mentioned the man who killed her parents, but she didn’t really give me anything new about him. Just said, ‘oh, the man who kills! He wants to stay forever. He wants to tip the scales of life.’” He explained. 

Iori nodded, now with a thoughtful expression on his face. “That at least confirms our theory that the man she believes killed her parents and the one she warned us about are one and the same, which is actually comforting.” He said. Tamaki and Riku both frowned. “Iorin, are you sure?” Tamaki asked first. “Yeah, how is that thought comforting? Now we just know that the one she warned us about is also a killer.” Riku then stated. 

Iori rolled his eyes. “Because,” He started. “Sara was what? Seven or eight years old in the recordings. She has to be almost a hundred by now, the fact that she’s even still alive is amazing. The man she talked about was undoubtedly older than her, meaning, he most likely isn’t around anymore, and if he is, he has to be even older than Sara, and thus not much of a threat.” He explained. 

“Oh.” Tamaki said. “I see, that’s great news then!” He said with a smile. However, Riku wasn’t convinced, something felt off to him. “Are you sure? Whenever Sara is talking about him, she talks as if he’s still around, and as if he’s still very much of a threat.” Riku said skeptically. 

Iori shrugged. “You’ve said it yourself, she’s confused. Maybe she’s still traumatized from her past, thus convincing herself that he’s still around, like a materialization of her fear. And in reality, he has most likely already passed away.” He said calmly. 

“Then what about, ‘he wants to stay forever’? Or, ‘he wants to tip the scales of life’? What does it mean?” Riku asked. Iori shook his head. “I still don’t know, it’s the one piece of what Sara says that I can’t make any sense of. Hopefully we’ll figure that out as we keep making progress.” He said. 

Riku wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t want to argue right now, and so he just forced a smile onto his face and nodded. “Okay, you’re probably right.” He admitted, though a bit reluctantly. He wanted to believe Iori, but his gut was telling him to listen to Sara. “That doesn’t mean we have to stop being careful though. We have to be at least as cautious as we have been up until now.” Riku said after a while. 

Iori and Tamaki nodded. “Of course, we have no intention to be careless just because the guy we had to be extra careful with most likely isn’t around anymore.” Iori said. “That’s right! The three of us are like spies! Or treasure hunters!” Tamaki exclaimed excitedly, making Riku giggle. 

“That’s right! I was actually thinking about something!” Tamaki continued, making both Iori and Riku turn to him with questioning expressions. “What is it, Tamaki?” Riku asked. Tamaki grinned before presenting his idea. “We should form a club!” He exclaimed happily, as if he’d just made a major discovery. 

Iori and Riku eyed each other before turning back to Tamaki. “A club? You might have to elaborate on that…” Iori said, sounding skeptic. Tamaki frowned. “What the hell? You don’t sound excited at all! I thought really hard about this!” He complained. 

“Now, now, Tamaki.” Riku said, patting Tamaki’s leg to calm him down. “Why don’t you tell us more about your idea?” He suggested kindly, though he was also a bit skeptic as to how good of an idea it actually was. 

“Well…” Tamaki started. “I was just thinking that most students in this school have extra curricular activities! Like a sports club, or the music club, or the art club! But none of us are in any club, Iorin says it would only interfere with his studies, I would join one if they had one about food, but they don’t so I’d rather be home with Tsumugi! And Rikkun, you’re still sort of new, so you haven’t had the chance to join one yet!” He explained. 

Riku and Iori nodded, though they still weren’t so sure about Tamaki’s idea. “And so, I thought that when others are doing their club activities, we are out solving clues and looking for treasure! So, couldn’t we just make that our club? We’ll be the treasure hunting club!” Tamaki exclaimed proudly. 

“Okay, first off,” Iori started once Tamaki was finished. “You do know it’s supposed to be a secret, right? If we make an actual club about it and call it the ‘treasure hunting club’, don’t you think people might start to wonder about it? And secondly, what kind of name is ‘treasure hunting club’ anyway? It’s too long and sounds childish.” Iori lectured. 

Tamaki frowned. “I know it’s supposed to be a secret, which is why we make it a secret club, duh! I wasn’t suggesting we make an official club through the school, just like amongst ourselves. And we don’t have to call it ‘the treasure hunting club’, it was just something I had on the tip of my tongue! We’ll think of something better!” Tamaki adamantly said. 

“Oh yeah?” Iori asked. “Like what?” Tamaki thought for a minute or two, in fact, neither Iori or Riku had ever seen the blue-haired boy think that hard before. Then, all of a sudden it looked like a lightbulb popped up above his head. “What about Sibuna?” He suggested. 

“Sibuna?” Iori said, it was definitely better than before, but he was still unsure. “What does it mean?” Riku asked. Tamaki grinned as he answered. “It’s Anubis, but backwards. It’s like one of the clues we solve, though a much simpler version.” He explained proudly. 

Riku looked at Iori with a smile. “I don’t mind. In fact, I think it could be kind of fun, it would make it more official as well, even if it’s only amongst ourselves. And I think Sibuna is a fine name!” He said with a bright smile. Iori blushed and looked away for a second before clearing his throat. “If you two like the idea so much, I guess I’m fine with it.” He said, and if he mainly agreed because of Riku’s bright smile when talking about it, at least nobody else knew about it. 

“Yay~ So, we’ll really do it! I’m so excited now! Sibuna!” Tamaki exclaimed happily, and as he said ‘Sibuna’, he covered his right eye with his right hand. Iori and Riku looked a bit taken aback at that. Riku smiled while asking, “Tamaki, what did you just do?” Tamaki smiled excitedly. “It can be our club greeting! Like a symbol!” He said. 

“Do we really need to have a club greeting?” Iori asked, finding that this was starting to turn less serious by the minute. Tamaki frowned. “I want to have a club greeting!” He said stubbornly. Riku tried to calm him down. “It’s okay, Tamaki, we can have a club greeting if you’d like. But why the eye thing?” He asked. 

Tamaki looked excited that he was once more asked to explain. “Well, you see, I was thinking about your locket when I came up with it! Because it looks like an eye, I figured we could cover our right eye as a greeting! Since that locket started everything in a way, we could use it as a symbol for the club!” He said. 

Riku smiled. “I see! I think I like it better already.” He said. Tamaki beamed and hugged Riku tight. “Thanks, Rikkun! You’re the best!” He exclaimed while rocking himself and Riku back and forth. Riku just laughed and returned the hug. Iori rolled his eyes at their antics. 

Tamaki then let go of Riku in order to sit and face both him and Iori, he then lifted his right hand to his face and covered his right eye with it. “Sibuna!” He said with a smile. Riku followed suit, mirroring the gesture Tamaki did. “Sibuna!” He said, just as excitedly as Tamaki did. 

The two then turned to look at Iori, who frowned and looked away, but after a minute, he had no choice but to give in. He reluctantly raised his hand and covered his right eye with it. “Sibuna…” He said, after which he got an armful of Riku and Tamaki as they both lunged forward and hugged him while laughing. Iori tried to push them away but was unsuccessful. In the end, Iori was a blushing mess, and Riku and Tamaki were giggling. 

That was when the bell rang. While the three boys were talking, everyone else had left the lounge and they were now, luckily, the only ones there. “Well, let’s go then.” Iori said as he stood up. Riku and Tamaki did the same. However, before they got more than a few steps away from the sofa, Iori reached out for Riku’s arm, making the other stop in his tracks and look at Iori. “What’s up?” He asked. 

“I just remembered I wanted to ask you something. Did you bring the puzzle box with you to school today?” Iori asked. Riku nodded. “Yeah, I have it here in my bag. I don’t like leaving it around the house, it feels too important for that.” He answered. 

Iori held out a hand. “Can I have it? I wanted to check something.” He said. “Sure you can.” Riku answered with a smile as he reached into his bag and grabbed the puzzle box, handing it over to Iori. Iori was about to thank him and put it away when the bell rang again, signaling that they really had to hurry up in order to make it in time for their class. 

However, the bell had startled Iori, who had as a result dropped the puzzle box onto the ground. Iori, Riku and Tamaki all looked on in horror as it hit the floor and broke apart. “Shit!” Iori exclaimed as he bent down to pick it up. The bottom had come off, and the metal stick that was holding the three disks together had slipped out, thus separating the disks. 

“Do you think you can fix it?” Riku asked in a panic. Iori was about to answer but then he saw something. On the inside of one of the disks, there was some sort of golden writing. Iori picked them all up and turned them around, seeing that all of them had writing on them, and that they could be put together like a puzzle. 

“I don’t think I broke it. Look.” He said as he put the three disks together, revealing the whole message. Riku and Tamaki looked in awe at what Iori had discovered. “When daytime ends at midday, through the tears of glass the eye shall see.” Riku read the message out loud before he looked up at the other two, beaming as he did. “It’s the next clue!” He said excitedly. 

Later, after everyone had finished dinner and then gone to do their own things, Iori, Riku and Tamaki had gathered in the living room, seeing as it was empty for the time being. Iori and Riku were sat in one of the sofas, while Tamaki had fully occupied an armchair to the side. Their notes were all laid out on the table in front of them and they were about to properly start looking into the new clue they’d found earlier. 

“When daytime ends at midday, through the tears of glass the eye shall see…” Riku read out loud once they got settled. “This has to be the clue leading to the next part in our search. Then we still have a few cylinders to listen to, and it’s possible there’s something there as well. We sure have our hands full right now.” Iori said. 

Riku nodded and Tamaki frowned. “I don’t understand it…” He said. “What don’t you understand, Yotsuba-san?” Iori asked, his eyebrows raised. Tamaki shrugged and pointed at the riddle. “The new clue, I guess. It doesn’t make sense, how can daytime end at midday?” He asked. 

Iori rolled his eyes. “It’s a riddle, it’s not meant to be easily understood. It was written like that intentionally by someone who didn’t want to make it too easy to find whatever it leads to.” He explained. Tamaki sat up straighter and smiled in excitement at that. “You think the clue will lead us to the treasure?” He asked. 

“It could be.” Riku was the one who answered instead of Iori. “But it’s also possible it leads to another clue. I doubt the Watanabes made it easy to find the treasure.” He said. Tamaki groaned. “Isn’t it already hard? How many puzzles do we have to solve to find this stupid treasure?” He complained. 

Riku chuckled. “Weren’t you excited about being a treasure hunter? We even have a club now, so if we just find it immediately, then there’ll be nothing left for us to do, will there?” He asked the blue-haired boy with a smug smile. Tamaki cheered up at that. “That’s right! Bring it on, Watanabe Ritsu! Watanabe Akiko! We’ll find your treasure for sure!” He exclaimed. 

“Shh!” Both Iori and Riku shushed Tamaki, as he had been a little too loud, considering they were only in the living room of their house and everyone was home at the moment. “Sorry…” Tamaki apologized sheepishly. Riku smiled and Iori sighed. 

Iori then cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to the issue at hand here, shall we? The riddle inside of the puzzle box…” He said, pointing to his notes where the riddle was written down. “Yes! Let’s get to it.” Riku said and scooted closer to Iori on the sofa in order to see better. Iori flushed at the action, but he kept going like usual, hoping nobody would notice. 

“I see it like this.” Iori started, gaining both Riku and Tamaki’s attention. “‘When daytime ends at midday’ refers to a specific time, or a specific moment, specifically around noon, but which day, I’m not sure. And at this specific moment, when you look through these ‘tears of glass’ you will see the next step.” Iori explained. 

“So,” Riku started. “We really only have to figure out two things, which day it is that daytime ends at midday, and what the tears of glass are, right?” He asked. Iori nodded. “That’s how I interpret it anyway, but it’s possible it could refer to something else I suppose.” He answered. Riku shook his head. “No, I think you’re right. That makes sense.” He said with a smile, which Iori returned. 

“Wouldn’t it be painful to cry tears made of glass?” Tamaki asked with a wince. Riku chuckled. “I don’t think it’s talking about literal tears made of glass, but rather an object that’s made of glass and shaped like a tear.” Riku clarified. “I see! So, the object works kind of like a prism maybe?” Tamaki suggested. “I assume so, yes.” Riku said. 

Iori frowned. “Wouldn’t it be objects though? Not just one, but many…” He suggested. Tamaki and Riku both turned to him with confused expressions. “Why is that, Iorin?” Tamaki asked. “Well,” Iori started. “The riddle specifically says, ‘tears of glass’, not ‘tear of glass’, so it’s most likely that it’s multiple tear shaped glass objects.” He explained. 

“That does seem more likely!” Riku said as realization hit him that Iori was correct. “Do we know any items around the house that looks like that?” Tamaki asked. Riku shook his head, and after a short while of thinking, so did Iori. “No, I can’t recall anything. But if they belonged to the Watanabes, it’s possible they might be kept you know where…” the raven-haired boy said. 

Riku sighed. “So, we might have to go back up to the attic again after all? I thought that since we recorded the cylinders, we might not have to go there for a good while. That place is so dusty, I don’t like being there too much…” He complained. 

Iori put a hand on Riku’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Nanase-san. We’ll look here before we go up there, maybe we just can’t remember it being in the house.” He said. Riku smiled weakly and agreed that they’d do that. 

“Okay, so that’s what we’ll do about the tears of glass, but what about when daytime ends at midday? How are we going to figure that out? It’s not like we can just look around the house for that” Tamaki said. “About that…” Iori started. “There’s no time in history that it has become night around noon here in this part of Japan, so it has to refer to something else.” He said. 

“But what could that be?” Riku asked. “I think I might know that too.” Iori said with a smug smile, earning awed looks from both Riku and Tamaki. “When can it appear to be dark, like during the night, when it’s still in the middle of the day?” Iori asked. 

Riku and Tamaki both thought for a while. “Well, if it’s supposed to be dark, wouldn’t the sun need to be covered? So, when it’s very cloudy, or what? But it never gets that dark either way.” Tamaki said, but he earned only a shake of the head from Iori. That’s when Riku finally got it. “An eclipse! During an eclipse, the moon covers the sun and it becomes dark for a few minutes! Do you think the riddle talks about an eclipse happening during midday?” Riku asked. 

Iori nodded and smiled. “That would make sense, right? I can’t think of any other time when daytime ends at midday.” He said. Riku smiled brightly. “When’s the next eclipse then?” He asked excitedly, Iori got out his phone to check. When he did find it, his face fell. 

“I have good news and bad news.” He said. Riku’s smile faltered and he looked almost scared. “Go ahead.” He said, despite the unease that he started feeling. “The good news are that the next scheduled eclipse that will happen in this area will take place very close to noon.” Iori said. 

Tamaki smiled. “Isn’t that good? That means we might be right, after all…” He said. Iori shook his head. “Not when you hear the bad news. The next solar eclipse that will take place in this area won’t be for another six and a half years.” He said. 

Riku looked almost destroyed at that. “What? We can’t wait for over six years!” He exclaimed. Tamaki also looked troubled. “I know I said I wanted this treasure hunting thing to last, but I’d like to finish it before graduation…” He said. Iori shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong, about the riddle having to do with an eclipse, I mean.” He suggested. 

Riku shook his head. “No, you said it yourself. There’s no other option that makes sense! An eclipse is the only way that daytime ends at midday!” Riku said, clearly upset. “Maybe we should just stop. We can’t wait for over six years to find the next clue, we don’t have that long…” He continued and both Iori and Tamaki could see tears forming in the redhead’s eyes. 

Riku stood up then. “I’m going back to my room, I need to think for a while.” He said before starting to walk away. Iori stood up and reached out, grabbing ahold of Riku’s wrist. “Nanase-san! Wait a minute, if we just-” He started, but Riku pulled his hand free of Iori’s hold. “Not now, Iori! I just… I want to be by myself for now. I’ll see you guys tomorrow…” Riku said sadly before walking off, leaving Iori and Tamaki alone in the living room. 

“What are we going to do now, Iorin?” Tamaki asked. Iori sighed and sat back down. “Yotsuba-san, will you help me? I want to keep looking into the riddle, see if there’s anything else it could refer to…” Iori asked, though he wouldn’t force Tamaki to stay and help him if he’d rather go and be alone like Riku. 

However, Tamaki only seemed excited to help. “Of course! Let’s find a solution to this and make Rikkun smile again!” He said. Iori nodded, a determined expression on his face. “Right, let’s get to it then.” He said, once more burrowing his head in his notes. 

After getting back to his room, Riku had started crying. When he got to this school and found out that his brother was no longer here, he first wasn’t sure what to do, as if there was no meaning in him being here. When he met Sara and started looking for the treasure, Riku felt like there was a meaning to him being at Yaotome Academy and Anubis House once more. And now he might have lost that. 

They had a deadline, and the deadline was graduation. Anubis House belonged to the school, and they wouldn’t be allowed to stay after they graduated. They simply couldn’t wait for over six years. Riku felt like he had failed Sara, who had been through so many painful things, who trusted him to find this treasure. It just made him feel worse. 

In the end, Riku managed to fall asleep around nine, an hour before Tsukumo advised them to. He found that he got really tired from being so emotional. When Riku woke up, it wasn’t to the sound of his alarm, it was to someone knocking on the door to his room. Riku groaned and sat up, checking the clock on his phone. ‘Who the hell comes knocking at someone’s door at 2 in the morning?’ Riku thought. He sighed and stood up, only to see Iori standing outside his room once he opened the door. 

Riku was shocked, Iori had bags under his eyes, but a smile on his face. “Hi… Sorry, did I wake you?” He asked, his voice full of concern. Riku rubbed his eyes. “Sort of… Did you need something?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Well, I wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay.” He said. 

“What’s going on?” Both Iori and Riku turned around as they heard Nagi waking up. “It’s nothing, go back to sleep.” Riku whispered before he motioned for Iori to back out into the hallway, after which he followed him out, closing the door carefully behind himself. 

“So, what did you need? But make it quick, I’m tired and want to go back to bed.” Riku said. “Right.” Iori started. “It’s about the riddle.” Riku sighed. “Can we not talk about it right now? I’d rather go back to sleep.” Riku said, once again feeling guilt take him over. 

“No, it’s not that. It’s just, I think I was wrong. About it referring to an eclipse that is.” Iori said, sounding a bit desperate. The tone in his voice made Riku want to hear him out, eve though he’d rather just forget about the riddle and everything else regarding the treasure right now. “How were you wrong?” Riku asked in the end, after a minute of heavy silence. 

Iori smiled. “Well, I checked when there were eclipses in the past, and there hasn’t been any recorded eclipses taking place at around noon in this area for two hundred years.” He said. Riku blinked up at him. “And? What does that mean?” He asked. 

“It means,” Iori started. “That it’s most likely that whoever left the clue, be it Sara or her parents, probably couldn’t have timed it after an eclipse that they never experienced themselves. They wouldn’t know if it even worked. I bet the riddle refers to something else.” He said. 

Riku couldn’t lie, he felt a small ounce of hope at that, but his doubts still wouldn’t go away just like that. “Like what?” He asked Iori, who shook his head in return. “I don’t know yet… But we, me and Yotsuba-san that is, intend to find out. We’re going to the library tomorrow to have access to more research material, and we won’t stop until we figure it out. But we need your help to do that.” Iori said, reaching out and grabbing both of Riku’s upper arms. 

“You’re the one pulling us forward. You started this, and no one else is going to finish it. We can’t do this without you, Nanase-san. And if you get scared, or doubt your own abilities, just come to me. Because I swear that I will make this right. I’ll help you get through this, no matter what.” Iori said. 

As he kept listening, Riku teared up from a completely different reason than before. “I’m scared, Iori…” Riku started. “I’m scared we won’t find it. Sara trusted me to do it, she says I’m the only one who can. We can’t fail, Iori, we just can’t.” Riku managed to get out between sobs. 

Iori didn’t hesitate to pull Riku closer, enveloping the crying boy in his embrace. “It’ll be okay. I know we’ll find it. I promise, I won’t stop looking until we have it. I’ll be with you until we do. So please, will you keep helping us look into the riddle tomorrow?” Iori asked. 

Riku sniffled and leaned back, not that he didn’t enjoy Iori’s embrace, it was actually the opposite. It made him feel warm and safe. Riku looked up at Iori, after which the raven-haired boy proceeded to wipe Riku’s tears. Riku chuckled. “Okay. Yes, I’ll help.” He said with a weak smile. 

“That’s great.” Iori said before taking a step back. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll let you go back to sleep now, sorry for coming by so late.” He said. Riku chuckled and assured him that it was fine. 

As Iori was walking away, Riku called out to him one more time. “Iori!” Iori turned around at the sound of his name, an eyebrow raised in question. Riku smiled as brightly as he could muster at that moment. “Thank you.” He said, and he truly meant it. Riku was so grateful he had Iori’s help in the search for the treasure, but more than anything, he was so grateful to have Iori as a friend and a support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! New clue, which is exciting ;) Hopefully they can figure something out soon... I was actually a bit torn on how I wanted to do with the ehole club thing at first, whether to include it or not, but it's such a big part of the original show that I wanted to keep it in here, so I hope it was okay. Thank you for reading anyway, I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter! ^^ Thank you for leaving kudos and comments, they really help to keep me motivated! <3


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With newfound enthusiasm, Iori, Riku and Tamaki keep searching for the solution to the riddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back again with a new chapter! I hope you will enjoy this chapter ^^ With that, please go ahead and read it! If you have any questions, you can ask me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next day, Riku, Iori and Tamaki spent as much time as they could in the library. Riku found out that Iori and Tamaki had stayed awake together until 3 in the morning last night, researching until they found what Iori had told him about. He then felt guilty and apologized profoundly for becoming emotional and running off like that.

Iori and Tamaki kept telling him that it was okay, that it had been understandable that he’d been upset, they too had felt a bit defeated once Iori found out about the eclipse being six years away. Riku still felt a bit bad, and it only worsened when Tamaki fell asleep during one of their afternoon classes as well. But the other two were adamant in telling Riku they were just glad that all three of them were researching the new clue together again. 

Once school ended for the day, the three went back to the library and kept looking through both books and the internet, looking for anything that could be the ‘tears of glass’ or whenever ‘daytime ends at midday’ was. They stayed until it was time for the library to close, at which point they had to leave and go back to the house. 

They had found nothing, but they didn’t feel all that bad about it. In fact, now that Iori had practically confirmed that the clue didn’t involve an actual eclipse they had to wait for, the three of them were super motivated to try their hardest and solve it. They may have had to start over from scratch when it came to the riddle, but they did so with a newfound enthusiasm. 

When they got back to the house, the rest of the guys were in the middle of dinner. “Iori, Tamaki, Riku! You’re late! Where have you been?” Mitsuki asked as they entered the dining room and joined the other residents of the Anubis House. “Sorry Nii-san, we were studying in the library.” Iori said. 

At that, Yamato let out a chuckle. “No but seriously, what were you doing? I can buy Ichi and Riku studying at the library until closing hours, but Tama? That just won’t ever happen.” He said. Tamaki frowned. “Hey! I can totally study all day if I want to!” He exclaimed. “Yeah, but Tamaki-kun, you never actually want to do that…” Sougo pointed out. 

Tamaki was about to argue, but he found that he couldn’t come up with anything to say. “Shit, that’s a good point…” He whispered under his breath, making Yamato, who had heard him, laugh out loud. Iori sighed and facepalmed internally. “It’s nothing special, we’re just working on a project together.” Iori then said. 

“It’s my project actually.” Riku added. “Since I missed the entire first term, the headmaster asked me to write up something to make up for it. It’s not that big since I still went to high school, obviously, I think it’s just to make sure I’m all caught up to where we are now. I asked Iori to help me, which made Tamaki feel a bit lonely since the two of us were spending so much time together doing it, that he asked to join us a while back.” Riku explained, mixing the truth in with their excuses. 

Tamaki nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right! We are just helping Rikkun!” He said, sounding a bit proud as he did so. Iori looked impassive but he nodded. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Yotsuba-san has actually been a surprisingly big help.” He said. The rest of the guys looked lowkey impressed with Tamaki, and so they all went back to dinner. 

After dinner, Iori, Riku and Tamaki once again found themselves sat in the sofas in the empty living room, trying to look into the riddle. Iori sighed. “I just don’t get it, it can’t be the eclipse at noon, since they are too rare, but in what other way could daytime possibly end it midday?” He asked. 

“Maybe the answer is just right in front of our eyes and we’re just overthinking it. That’s what my teachers usually tell me when they’ve been trying to explain a problem to me for a while.” Tamaki suggested. Iori rolled his eyes. “That’s because you don’t listen to their explanations, they just tire of trying to explain it in any other way.” He said, making Tamaki pout. 

“Maybe there’s something about it in the cylinders? We still haven’t listened to all the ones we recorded, right?” Riku suggested. “You’re right, we haven’t. I guess it’s a possibility.” Iori said as he fished out his phone and put it on the table. He then opened up one of the recordings and pressed play. 

After a short while of silence, the three boys heard young Sara’s familiar voice. _“Sometimes, he says things, in hope that I’ll react. But I don’t. Instead, I think of mother and father, and I sit in complete sile-”_ That was when the door to the living room flew open and in came Mitsuki, Nagi, Sougo and Yamato. Iori hurried to grab his phone and turn the recording off, but it seemed like the other guys had managed to catch a little bit of what was said. 

“What are you guys doing?” Mitsuki asked as he joined them, sitting down in the sofa. Riku and Tamaki hurried to collect all of the notes laid out on the table, seeing as they had notes about the riddles and the cylinders there. “Audiobook.” Iori simply answered in the meantime. 

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow in question. “You’re listening to an audiobook?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Mhm.” He answered. He was aware that it wasn’t the most convincing excuse there was, but he honestly couldn’t come up with anything else for the time being. 

“Wow, first it’s helping with studies, and now it’s a book. Congratulations Riku, you managed to convert Tama.” Yamato said, also taking a seat in the sofa with Mitsuki. “What about me? Don’t I get any credit?” Iori asked, almost offended. “No offense, Ichi, but you had an entire term to try, and yet it’s only now that Riku have arrived that you succeeded. So, I am giving most of the credit to him.” 

Iori rolled his eyes and Riku laughed. Tamaki just pouted. “Why does everyone think I need converting?” He asked. “It’s not like that, Tamaki-kun.” Sougo said gently, putting a hand on Tamaki’s shoulder. “We’re just happy that you seem to be working hard is all.” He said. “Then why is everybody teasing me, Sou-chan?” Tamaki asked while turning to Sougo. 

“We’re just teasing you out of love, Tama.” Yamato said. “I don’t want your love, Yama-san. It’s creepy.” Tamaki said with a frown. Mitsuki laughed out loud at that. “Rude.” Yamato said, and it was most likely aimed both at Tamaki’s response and Mitsuki’s laughter. 

Now that they had been interrupted, Tamaki, Iori and Riku decided just to join the others that night. Having worked with the riddle the entire day, it was actually sort of nice to just take some time to let it go and relax, even if it was just for one night. The seven of them would play board games, and even Gaku and Ryuu joined them a bit later. 

Riku was happy, it was the first time he had really felt like he was a part of everyone in the House of Anubis. They even decided to play in teams one round, and Riku had ended up in the same one as Gaku. It went surprisingly well, turns out they worked pretty well together, though it may be partly because Gaku was still feeling bad about how he treated Riku when he first got there, and was thus trying to be on his best behavior. 

When ten o’clock rolled around, and Tsukumo found all of them still laughing and making a ruckus in the living room, he got really angry. He yelled at them and said that tomorrow, once school let out, they were all to come straight home and help Tsumugi clean the house, cook dinner and do the laundry as a punishment. 

After that, they all went back to their respective rooms. Riku was laughing and whispering to Nagi about things as they got ready for bed, and the two even stayed up for over an hour, just talking. Riku realized that night that he was truly happy he had come to Yaotome Academy and Anubis House, even though it had been rocky at best in the start. His studies were coming along great, he had made friends with everyone in the house and he even had a few people he’d gotten a little extra close to. 

Then there was also everything about Sara and the treasure. And while it made him sad and frustrated from time to time, it was still thrilling and could even be funny at time, especially now that he had both Iori and Tamaki to help. He still missed his brother, but he was used to that, he had done that for five years after all. But for the first time in those five years, he found that he didn’t mind all that much. That night, Riku fell asleep with a smile on his face. 

“Iorin! Rikkun! Hurry up!” Tamaki yelled from the entrance hall. “You can go ahead if you don’t want to wait, you know?” Iori yelled back from the kitchen. Tamaki sighed. “Tamaki-kun, what’s wrong?” Sougo, who was walking down the stairs with Nagi and Yamato asked. 

“Iorin and Rikkun are helping Tsumugi clean up after breakfast, but I’ve been ready to go for like ten minutes!” Tamaki complained. “Then why don’t you help them out? That way they’ll be done faster.” Yamato suggested. Tamaki frowned. “I was, but they kicked me out of the kitchen after I broke a plate.” He answered, making Yamato snort. 

“Where’s Mikki anyway? Doesn’t he usually walk with you?” Tamaki asked, wanting to change the subject. “He went to school ahead of us, said he had to talk to a teacher before class started.” Yamato explained. Tamaki nodded. 

“Well, we’re going to head out now, see you after school Tamaki-kun.” Sougo then said. “Bye, Sou-chan.” Tamaki answered. “Tamaki, you and I shall work together in the afternoon! We’re tall, so we’ll have to clean the colored glass windows in the staircase!” Nagi exclaimed and Tamaki nodded with a frown. He hated cleaning the windows in the stairs most of all, it always made his neck hurt from looking up for so long. 

As Nagi, Sougo and Yamato left, Tamaki looked up at the windows that he’d spend his afternoon reluctantly cleaning. There were four of them, all showing the same image of a meadow during different times of the day. One showing a sunrise, the other the middle of the day, the third was a sunset and the last one showed the middle of the night. 

Tamaki frowned as he had a thought. _‘A sunset marks the end of a day in a way, right? When daytime ends at midday…’_ He thought, and then his eyes widened in realization and his face broke out into a huge grin. “Iorin! Rikkun! Come here!” Tamaki yelled out as he ran to the kitchen. 

As Tamaki threw open the door to the kitchen, everyone turned to stare at him. “We’re almost finished Tamaki, we’ll be with you in just two minutes.” Riku said with a kind smile. Tamaki ignored him and grabbed both his and Iori’s wrist and started dragging them away. “Sorry, Tsumugi, but I need them right now! It’s really important! I’ll make it up to you in the afternoon! I’ll clean extra diligently!” Tamaki exclaimed as the three left the kitchen. 

“Okay! I’ll hold you to it!” Was all Tsumugi called out in return, a fond look on her face as she watched them go, not at all upset that Tamaki had run off with her little helpers for the morning. 

“Yotsuba-san, what is the meaning of this? We were almost finished. If you had just waited for two or three more minutes we’d be done.” Iori complained. Tamaki stopped and let go of both Iori and Riku’s wrists as they reached the entrance hall, then he turned to them with a serious expression. “I think I solved the riddle.” He said, serious at first, but then he broke out into a happy and excited smile. 

Riku looked excited. “Really? You really think managed to solve it?” He asked. Iori was more skeptical. “Are you sure?” He asked in disbelief. Tamaki nodded. “It’s a sunset. ‘When daytime ends’ refers to a sunset, since the day is over once the sun goes down, right?” He suggested excitedly, really proud of himself for figuring it out. 

Iori just raised an eyebrow. “Yes, a sunset certainly is when daytime ends, but there’s not a single day when the sun sets at midday here in Japan.” He said. Tamaki just rolled his eyes. “Well, what if the clue isn’t referring to an actual sunset?” He said. 

Iori and Riku both stared at him, they were both equally confused as to what he meant. Tamaki could see their confusion and pointed up at the colored glass windows. “There’s your sunset.” He said. 

Riku and Iori looked up to where Tamaki was pointing, their eyes widening as they observed the decorative windows. “Tamaki is right.” Riku started. “It’s a sunset.” He continued. “The riddle must mean that something will happen when the sun shines through that window at noon.” Iori said before turning to look at Tamaki in awe. “I can’t believe you figured that out.” He said. 

Tamaki shrugged. “I have to clean those windows this afternoon, and as I was looking up at them, thinking about it, I just suddenly realized it.” He said. Riku practically threw himself at Tamaki and wrapped his arms around the taller boy’s neck. “You’re amazing, Tamaki! Thank you for finding that!” He said happily. 

Tamaki laughed and pulled Riku up, off of his feet, making the redhead laugh. Iori, once more, sighed at their antics. Though a small part of him wanted to be the one embraced by the red-haired boy. Then there was also the part of him the blushed and completely denied that he ever wanted something like that. 

Iori cleared his throat. “Let’s come back during lunch and see if something happens, yeah?” He suggested. Riku and Tamaki separated and nodded at Iori’s suggestion. “That’s a good plan! Sibuna!” Tamaki agreed before he covered his eye with his hand, doing the club greeting they decided on. Riku laughed and followed suit. “Sibuna!” He exclaimed. 

Iori sighed. “Is that really a thing that we’re going to do from now on?” He asked. Tamaki and Riku both nodded enthusiastically. Iori rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He said before he too lifted his hand up to his eye. “Sibuna.” He said, his cheeks red in embarrassment. After that they got their stuff and then they went to school. 

“Is the coast clear?” Iori asked Tamaki who had gone first into the entrance way of Anubis House. “For now, but Tsukumo is in his office, so we’ll have to be quiet.” Tamaki answered. Iori and Riku nodded as the quietly followed Tamaki into the house. The three stood by the stairs in such a way that they couldn’t be seen from the second floor, but still had an easy escape route if Tsukumo decided to come down. 

Their morning classes had passed in a blur, all three of them still excited and on edge from that morning’s discovery. When lunch break finally rolled around, they were all out of the classroom and on their way back to the house as quickly as possible. 

“How much is the clock?” Riku asked impatiently. “11:57.” Iori answered. “If the clue is punctual, midday should be exactly at twelve. How long we’ll have once the clock hits twelve though, I’m not sure. I also don’t know what exactly will happen.” Iori continued. Riku nodded. 

Tamaki, who was stood a bit away from Riku and Iori, keeping watch over Tsukumo, made a motion for them to be quiet. Riku and Iori stiffened, but when Tamaki relaxed, signaling a false alarm, they too relaxed. “Sorry, it looked like he was about to leave his office.” Tamaki said. 

“It’s fine. It’s better to be alert than to be reckless.” Riku said with a reassuring smile. “Guys.” Iori called out, sounding expectant. “It’s twelve o’clock. It’s midday.” As Iori said this, all three boys turned to look at the stained-glass window. “The setting sun looks a tad bit brighter than the rest of the glass, doesn’t it?” Riku asked. 

Iori frowned. “Maybe, but it’s really hard to tell…” He said. Then, all of a sudden, it was as if something covered the window and the sun was gone. “What the hell? That was it?” Tamaki asked. “But nothing happened!” He then complained. 

“That was exactly one minute.” Iori stated, before looking up at Riku and Tamaki. “I think we’re on the right track, but we’re missing something.” He said. Tamaki groaned. “Ugh, what is it now?” He asked impatiently. After everything they went through with this particular clue, Tamaki was ready to just move on to the next. 

Riku however seemed to get it. “We forgot about the tears of glass. The riddle clearly states that when daytime ends at midday, we have to look through the tears of glass!” Riku exclaimed and Iori nodded. “Yeah, I’m convinced we have the right place, now we just have to find the tears of glass and bring them here at midday. I assume the light will shine through the tears of glass, and that it works sort of like a prism, but that remains to be seen.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “At least now we have the time and place. That’s a great start. And we already know that we’re looking for something that’s made of glass and shaped like tears.” He said. Tamaki sighed and then nodded. “I suppose it could be worse. At least now we have a clearer objective.” He said. 

“One more thing.” Iori started. Riku and Tamaki both turned to him, curious about what he was going to say next. “The light seemed to only shine through the window for a short while, and I don’t think that’s unintentional. It only shone through the window for exactly one minute, so I think the Watanabes made it so on purpose.” He explained. 

“Okay, and what does that mean exactly?” Tamaki asked, still a bit confused. “It means…” Iori started, but he was interrupted by Riku who finished what Iori was about to say. “That once the light shines through the window and hits the tears of glass, we only have one minute to do whatever needs to be done. Or we’ll have to wait until the next day.” He said. Iori smiled. “That’s right. Only one minute.” 

That afternoon, the house was in total chaos, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad chaos. Tsukumo had gone out and wouldn’t return until that evening. Now, that didn’t mean that the boys could escape their punishment, but they could have more fun with it than if the caretaker had still been at home. 

While taking care of their chores, the boys would sing songs, goof around, tell stories or play games. Tsumugi didn’t mind at all, in fact, she encouraged the boys. She liked to see them happy and having fun after all. And she did really appreciate getting some help around the house, that the boys enjoyed it as well just made her happier. 

Tamaki and Nagi were in charge of cleaning the windows, as well as the multiple glass surfaces and mirrors throughout the house. Sougo and Mitsuki were in charge of doing the laundry, as well as fixing the garden. Gaku, Ryuu and Yamato were in charge of cleaning, that would include vacuuming, mopping the floors and dusting the surfaces throughout the house. And last but not least, Iori and Riku were helping Tsumugi out in the kitchen, they’d wash dishes, prepare dinner and even polish the silverware. 

Riku was currently chopping up root vegetables that they would then roast in the oven. Meanwhile, Iori was washing up the things they’d already used while Tsumugi was preparing the dough for a bread that she was going to bake the next morning. It would have to rest overnight, which is why she was making it now. 

Once Riku had finished with the root vegetables, he went to put them in the oven, but saw that there was already something in there. “Tsumugi, do I wait to put in the root vegetables, or can I just put them above the other thing in the oven?” He asked. Tsumugi looked up at him, dried off her hands that had been covered in flour, and then walked over to the oven. 

“Can you hold them for a minute? I’ll move the other thing down so that those will fit better.” She said. Riku nodded and backed off, giving Tsumugi some more space to do what she needed to do. A minute later, Tsumugi took the root vegetables from Riku, put them in the oven and closed it with a sigh. “I swear, we need to get another oven in here. Or at least a bigger one.” She complained. 

Riku frowned, he thought there was another oven in the kitchen. “What about that one? Does it not work?” Riku asked, pointing at what looked like a black metal oven that must have been from when the house was first built. Tsumugi smiled. “It probably does, but the problem is that the door is completely stuck. We had some professionals come look at it two years ago, when I first started working here at Anubis House, but even then, we couldn’t get it to open.” Tsumugi said. 

“Hmm…” Riku hummed in reply. “It’s probably because it’s so old.” Tsumugi continued after a while. “It’s been there since forever. So many parts of this house have changed over the years, but that oven has stayed. Though it still doesn’t work.” She said with an awkward chuckle. 

“Really? Do you know what it looked like in here before?” Riku asked, a bit intrigued as to what changes had been made to the house. “Hmm, I’ve only been working here for two years, so I haven’t seen many of these changes in person, but I believe we still have some pictures from when the Watanabes owned the house.” She said. 

That really intrigued Riku, as well as Iori who had now stopped washing the dishes in order to pay more attention to the conversation that was happening. “Do you know where they are?” Riku asked enthusiastically. “Yeah, would you like to see?” Tsumugi asked with a smile. 

Riku and Iori both nodded. “We’d love to.” Riku answered and Iori nodded. Tsumugi then walked out into the living room while Iori and Riku followed her. She stopped in front of one of the cabinets and pulled out a small metal box. Tsumugi opened the box, revealing some black and white photos inside and then handing them over to the two boys. 

“Wow…” Riku said in awe as he looked at a picture of what must have been the dining room, though it looked quite different. “I didn’t know you two were interested in this stuff.” Tsumugi said, looking pleased as she observed them both. Iori looked up and met her eyes. “Well, I’m pretty good friends with the owner of an antique shop, so I guess I might have picked up a bit of an interest in that stuff.” He admitted, it was both the truth and an excuse in a way. 

Riku nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he took me there once! It was fascinating!” He exclaimed, making Tsumugi chuckle fondly. Riku kept going through the pictures, showing each and every one to Iori as he did. Then, all of a sudden, Riku stopped and stared at a particular photo of the entrance way. 

“Iori, look.” Riku whispered, motioning for the raven-haired boy to come closer, which he did. Riku was holding the photo of the entrance way, which looked exactly the same except for one detail. From the ceiling hung a beautiful and big glass chandelier. Iori looked at it in awe, and then his eyes widened as he realized what Riku was referring to. 

The two boys looked at each other with equally excited faces. “Tears of glass.” They both whispered to one another in unison. “Found something interesting?” Tsumugi, who was still standing close, asked curiously. Riku immediately showed her the picture. “Do you know what happened with the chandelier in this picture?” He asked curiously. 

Tsumugi thought for a moment before giving her answer. “I think we still have it lying around somewhere in the attic. I remember asking Tsukumo about it when I first saw these pictures as well, seeing as it is so beautiful.” She said, making both Iori and Riku relieved that it was still in the house. 

“Tell you what,” Tsumugi started. “How about I go look for it tonight once everything is finished? If we hurry up, we might be able to get it up before Tsukumo comes back, and then he’ll have nothing to say about it.” She suggested. 

Iori and Riku smiled brightly at that. They immediately agreed to help her with it, at which Tsumugi laughed and thanked them. As they then got back to the kitchen to keep working on the dinner, Iori and Riku couldn’t help but feel really excited. Riku smiled at Iori and placed his hand over his eye and whispered. “Sibuna.” 

Iori rolled his eyes but smiled in endearment as he mirrored Riku. “Sibuna.” He said. They finally knew the time and place for the next clue, and they’d soon have the tears of glass as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh, they are really getting somewhere with this clue, as opposed to what happened in the last chapter ;) Thank you for reading, I hope you could enjoy this chapter! I'll be back on Saturday with the next one, so look forward to that! ^^ Thank you for your kudos and comments, they make me very happy! <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku help Tsumugi put up the old chandelier, and then it's just to wait for noon the next day to roll around...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a new chapter! This one will pick up right where tha last one ended. Go ahead and read, I hope you will enjoy it! ^^ If you want to talk or have any questions, you can just send me a message or write to me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“Should it go a bit higher up or do you think this is good?” Tsumugi asked from where she stood on a ladder, fiddling with the chandelier that she had managed to find and bring down. “I think that looks good!” Riku said. He and Iori were holding onto the ladder and watching as Tsumugi put the chandelier back up.

Tsumugi finished the last things before sighing and coming back down. Backing away, she observed her work. “Wow, it’s stunning, isn’t it? I wonder why they took it down in the first place…” She said. Riku nodded. “Yes, it’s so beautiful!” He said in awe. “Let’s hope Tsukumo agrees to keep it up.” Iori pointed out. 

Tsumugi giggled. “You boys leave that to me. Since we’ve already put it up, he’ll be more likely to agree anyway.” She said with a smile. Riku and Iori nodded gratefully. They were excited about having found the tears of glass, and this meant that tomorrow at noon, they might be able to move on to the next step in their search. 

That was when the door to the house opened and Tsukumo came back. At first he didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, but when he saw both Tsumugi, Iori and Riku standing in the entranceway, all with similar expectant expressions, he finally started taking a look around. That was when he noticed the ladder and the chandelier that had undoubtedly not been there that morning. 

“What is the meaning if this?” He asked, though he sounded more irritated than angry. Tsumugi stepped forward. “Well, you see, while we were cleaning, I found these old pictures, and I remembered you saying that we still had this old chandelier laying around. The boys were really enthusiastic about putting it back up, so that’s what we did. Can we please keep it there? We’ve already gone to the trouble of putting it up.” She said pleadingly. 

Tsukumo frowned. “That chandelier was in the attic, you didn’t let any of the boys go up there, did you?” He asked. Tsumugi shook her head. “No Sir, I got it down myself.” She said. Tsukumo looked suspiciously at Iori and Riku, but then he yielded. “Fine, keep it up. But the moment I tire of that thing, you’re the one taking it back down.” He said harshly. 

Tsumugi brightened. “Thank you so much!” She exclaimed. Tsukumo just clicked his tongue and walked up to his office. Iori and Riku looked at each other with excited expressions, they then thanked Tsumugi for her help and went to find Tamaki so that they could tell him they had found the tears of glass. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. 

“Come on, hurry up guys! Or we’re not going to make it in time.” Riku exclaimed as they hurriedly made their way from the school and back to the house. In order to get there by noon, the three would have to skip their final class before lunch, so now they were doing just that. 

“It’s fine! We still have seven minutes, so we’ll make it in time.” Iori reassured Riku. “That’s right, Rikkun! And you shouldn’t be running anyway.” Tamaki agreed. It was only a five minute walk back to the house from where they were now, so there wasn’t really any need to run, but they really didn't want to miss it again. 

Riku calmed down slightly, but he still kept a fast pace. “I’m sorry guys, I just don’t want to risk being late, because then we have to wait even longer.” He said. “Technically, it would only be a day now that we’ve made sure it doesn’t have to be a specific day, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we didn’t-” Iori started but was interrupted by a glare from Riku. 

“I don’t want to make Sara wait longer than she has to is all.” Riku said, his expression turning apologetic as he realized just how hard he was glaring. “Shit! Hide!” Tamaki then exclaimed, not giving Riku any more time to feel guilty. He wasn’t sure why Tamaki had told them to hide, but he reacted instantly, diving behind some bushes to his right. 

Tamaki and Iori hadn’t been as lucky as him in finding a hiding spot, and soon Riku heard a familiar voice call out to them. “Ah, if it isn’t Yotsuba-kun and Izumi-kun. Don’t you two have a class you should be in by now?” A man said, but it wasn’t just any man. It was their history teacher, who also happened to be Tsumugi’s father, Takanashi Otoharu. Riku winced as his two friends awkwardly tried to explain why they weren’t in class. 

“Well, you see Sir, we forgot some really important documents at Anubis House this morning, so we were just getting them.” Iori tried, but Otoharu didn’t seem to buy it. “You have lunch in 20 minutes, couldn’t you just have gone then?” He asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Uhm… It was… Uh, really urgent?” Iori tried, but not even he sounded convinced. 

Otoharu sighed. “I’m surprised the two of you would be skipping, you didn’t strike me as the type. Especially not you, Izumi-kun.” He said. Iori and Tamaki both tried to say something to get themselves out of trouble, but if there were some words that could have helped them, they didn’t find them in time. 

“Well, you two will come with me back to school, return to your class, and then I’ll have to give you two detention today after school, I’m sorry. Since it’s never happened before, and I really do assume you have a reason, good or bad, for skipping a class, you’ll get no further punishment. But I don’t want to catch you doing this again.” He said, sounding a bit disappointed. 

Riku, who was still hiding in the bushes, watched as Otoharu led Iori and Tamaki back to the school. Then, he managed to meet Iori’s gaze and the black-haired boy motioned for him to get going without the two of them, to find the next clue. Riku nodded, stepped away from the bush and started running towards the house. The interruption meant that there were now only three minutes left until noon, so Riku now actually had to run in order to make it. 

Riku panted hard as he entered the house, luckily, Tsukumo didn’t seem to be home for the time being, otherwise he would have definitely heard Riku entering. Riku glanced at the clock, it showed 11:59, he had just made it in time. 

Riku sighed in relief as he tried to catch his breath. Though he didn’t really get much of a chance to do that, as after just a few seconds it was noon. The sunlight filtered through the colored glass that looked like a sunset, then it hit the chandelier, which started glowing in an almost green light. Riku looked at it in awe. 

Then, the green light from the chandelier gathered into a sort of beam that shone at a single panel in the wall. “Yes!” Riku exclaimed as he rushed over to that panel. Riku looked at it but saw nothing. He knocked on it and learned that it sounded hollow, and so he tried to open it. But no matter how much he pushed or pulled, it wouldn’t budge. And Riku was becoming more and more aware that he was running out of time. 

That’s when he noticed that the beam of light was not perfectly round. As the light hit the wooden panel, it was more oval shaped. In fact, it was almost exactly the shape and size of Riku’s locket. Riku hurried to pull it out and then he pressed it to the wooden panel, right where the light hit the wall. 

Just like he had thought, once Riku used his locket, a small piece of the wall opened, revealing a small space inside. Riku reached in and pulled out what was inside. Just as he pulled it out, the beam of light disappeared, the panel in the wall closed itself and the clock turned 12:01. Riku sighed and chuckled in relief. He had done it. 

Riku looked down at the object he had pulled out. It was long and thing compared to the puzzle box from last time, but the design was similar, with hieroglyphs and decorations in blue, red and black mostly. It was sort of shaped like the foot and stem of a wine glass, but much thicker and at the top there was a gem in a turquoise color. 

“Woah…” Riku said as he turned it over in his hand. Unlike the last piece they’d found, this one didn’t seem to have any loose or moveable parts. Riku frowned, was there no new clue? Was this stick-like thing the only thing they got out of all of that. It was cool, sure, but why did they need it? How did it fit into the search for the treasure? 

That’s when Riku heard a car pull up outside. He looked out the window and saw Tsukumo coming towards the house. Not wanting to be caught with the next piece in the puzzle leading to the treasure, Riku rushed up the stairs and hid the new object in a box under his bed. He figured he would need some help to figure this one out, and so, he had no choice but to wait for Iori and Tamaki. 

Iori and Tamaki, who had been scolded by their teacher upon coming back, were now sat in the cafeteria, waiting for Riku to return to school. They both perked up when they saw the redhead at the entrance to the cafeteria, waving him over. Riku excitedly walked over to them, a big smile on his face, which made both Tamaki and Iori assume how it had gone. They asked anyway. 

“How did it go? Did you find anything?” Tamaki asked, his good mood returning at once. “You didn’t get caught by Tsukumo, did you?” Iori then asked worriedly. Riku giggled at their enthusiasm and concern. “It went well, I did find something and no, I did not get caught by Tsukumo.” He said with a smile as he sat down. 

Iori and Tamaki smiled in relief at that. “Care to explain?” Iori asked as he leaned in closer. Tamaki nodded and followed suit. Riku grinned and also leaned in closer to his two friends, so that they could talk without others overhearing them as easily. 

“Okay, so I just managed to get there in time, and I was so lucky because Tsukumo was out when I got there. I completely forgot to be careful since I was so stressed, so if he hadn’t been out I’d have been discovered for sure.” Riku started. Iori and Tamaki both nodded as they listened to what Riku was telling them. 

Riku continued. “The clock hit 12 and the light shone through the window, hit the chandelier which then created a green beam of light that pointed to one of the wooden panels in the wall!” He said. “Woah, that sounds so cool! I wish I could have seen it!” Tamaki wined. 

Riku nodded. “It was super cool.” He said with a goofy smile that made him seemingly shine even brighter. “What happened then?” Iori asked. “Well, at first I thought maybe something would appear, like writing or something, but that’s not what happened at all. The panel was hollow, so I figured I could open it. And it did open! I had to use my locket, just like with the hidden room in the attic.” Riku said. 

“No way!” Tamaki exclaimed. “Imagine if we didn’t have the locket… We wouldn’t have been able to do anything!” He said. Iori rolled his eyes. “If we didn’t have the locket, Nanase-san would have never found the secret room in the first place, we probably wouldn’t even have known about there being a treasure in the house.” He said. Tamaki pouted. 

Riku chuckled at their interaction. “Well, do you want to hear about what I found behind the panel?” He asked with a smirk. Iori and Tamaki both turned to him instantly and nodded. “Well, I found another relic-like thing. Similar to the puzzle box, but in a completely different shape and without any moving parts. It looked slimmer and longer, kind of like the bottom of a wine glass.” Riku explained. 

“Yes!” Tamaki exclaimed. “We managed to find something! This is so exciting!” He said. “Did you find a new clue?” Iori then asked. Riku shook his head. “No, but it’s possible that this relic is the same as the puzzle box. You know, maybe there’s a clue hidden somewhere inside… Or maybe we have to read the hieroglyphs again, like with the very first clue we found…” Riku suggested. 

“I see.” Iori said. “You didn’t bring it to school?” He asked after a while, probably wanting to see it for himself. Riku shook his head once more. “No, as I was looking at it, Tsukumo came home. I didn’t want to risk him finding it, so I hid it in mine and Nagi’s room. You know, if he’d caught me sneaking out he might have asked to search my bag or something, so I left it just to be safe.” He explained. 

Iori nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. We’ll have to look into it tonight.” He said. Riku perked up at that. “That reminds me, how did things go for you after we separated?” He asked in concern. Tamaki groaned and banged his head down on the table. Iori shrugged, though you could see that he was a bit troubled, which worried Riku. 

“Well, luckily we only got a scolding by the teacher and two hours of detention this afternoon. So, thinking about it, it could have been way worse.” Iori explained. “Even if it could be worse, it’s still two hours of being bored when we could be out solving puzzles and finding treasure!” Tamaki complained. 

Riku smiled apologetically. “Well, at least I’m glad it’s not too bad.” He said. Iori sighed and Riku looked at his troubled face. “What’s up? You said yourself that it wasn’t so bad. Why do you look like it’s the end of the world?” Riku asked. 

Iori looked up at him. “I’ve never gotten detention before! What if the school calls my parents? And even if they don’t, Nii-san will learn about it and call my parents… I mean, they probably won’t be angry, but still. I’m not the kind of person who gets into trouble!” Iori explained. 

Riku chuckled, which made Iori glare at him. “Sorry, sorry… I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just… you’ve sort of been breaking lots of rules since we started searching for the treasure.” Riku said with an amused smile. Iori huffed. “Yeah, but we never got in trouble for any of that.” He said while rolling his eyes. 

Tamaki glared at Iori. “I spent all of last term trying to get you to do something fun with me, and you never would. Now you’re all of a sudden up for everything since we’re doing it for Rikkun. It’s like you’re in love with him or something…” Tamaki said. Now, Iori knew that Tamaki didn’t mean anything by that, but he still became a blushing and stuttering mess. 

“W-wah? That’s not-! I mean, I… I-I’m not… You’re being ridiculous!” Iori said while a bright red blush covered his cheeks. Even the tips of his ears were getting flushed. Riku also started blushing at Tamaki’s implication. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and the mood suddenly became sort of awkward. 

“Geez, I was just kidding. You don’t have to be so serious.” Tamaki said, sensing the awkward atmosphere. All three of them were very grateful to the bell that signaled the start of their next class, as it forced them to focus on something else. They all left the cafeteria behind and walked back toward their classroom. 

“Okay, hang on a minute. You’ll have to say that again.” Mitsuki said to Riku with a huge grin on his face. Riku chuckled awkwardly and repeated the exact same thing he had just told Mitsuki. “I said that Iori and Tamaki got detention, so they’re still at school.” He said, an amused look on his faceas he saw Mitsuki burst out into laughter. 

“Oh my god, Iori will never hear the end of this!” He exclaimed. Yamato also joined in, laughing along with Mitsuki. “I’m not that surprised to hear about Tama, he used to get detention every once in a while for falling asleep in class, but Ichi? Never thought I’d see the day when an honor student like him would get detention. How did it happen anyway?” He asked with a smirk. 

Riku shrugged. “They skipped the class before lunch to go back to the house and get something and got caught by one of the teachers.” He explained. “Hmph, shouldn’t have skipped in the first place.” Gaku said while rolling his eyes. Ryuu smirked as he eyed his friend. “Says the guy who has the most history with detentions.” He said. 

Gaku glared at Ryuu. “Okay, but I swear the teachers are harder on me because my dad is the headmaster. They’re all keeping an extra eye on me constantly.” He argued. “Or you just can’t stop yourself from yelling at people or insulting them when they do something you don’t agree with.” Yamato said. 

“Shut up.” Gaku said with a frown. After that, they all, apart from Gaku, started laughing again. Riku enjoyed it, spending time with the others in Anubis House like this was getting more and more fun with each day, probably because they got to know each other better as the days passed. Still, it was so different from when he first got there. Riku was really happy things had turned out alright. 

Right now, it was the mid afternoon and Riku was in the living room of Anubis House with Mitsuki, Yamato, Gaku and Ryuu. Iori and Tamaki was, of course, still at detention. Riku was waiting for them to come back so that he could show them what he had found earlier. Sougo and Nagi were also still in school it seemed, but nobody really knew what they were doing. 

“Oh, that reminds me…” Mitsuki said a while later, turning to Gaku and Ryuu. “Did either of you hear anything else about Kujou after that email he sent you a while back? You haven’t mentioned him for a while.” He asked. As the conversation shifted in that direction, Riku couldn’t help but perk up. 

Gaku frowned and Ryuu looked a bit sad. “No, he hasn’t replied to anything since then.” Ryuu said. “Yeah, that brat is still MIA.” Gaku added. Mitsuki nodded. “I see… But if his dad really did get in trouble with the wrong crowd, I guess it can’t be helped. Better to be safe than sorry.” He said. 

“I just hope nothing has happened to him. It would be nice to get a message every once in a while, even if it’s just ‘Hello, I’m still alive btw’, to know that he’s okay.” Ryuu said. Gaku nodded. “Damn him for making us worry about him.” Gaku said, making Ryuu chuckle fondly. "He’d fake a gag if he actually heard you say that though.” He commented, making Gaku laugh as well. “He would, wouldn’t he?” He said. 

The mood turned a bit better after that, Gaku and Ryuu started reminiscing about things they had done with Tenn in the past. Riku was listening intently, though he pretended to be reading a book as he did, not wanting to show how interested he was and accidentally reveal his relationship with Tenn. Still, it was very nice to hear stories about what your brother had been up to after he had left the family. 

About half an hour later, Iori and Tamaki returned home. Riku wanted to drag them upstairs to the new clue immediately, but the moment his two classmates entered the house they were bombarded with questions from Mitsuki. Or at least Iori was. It was another 20 minutes until Iori managed to escape his brother’s teasing, and by then Sougo and Nagi had also returned home, though they were in the living room. 

Seeing as Nagi was downstairs, Riku decided to bring Iori and Tamaki with him to his room instead of just fetching the new relic and go to theirs. When the three were finally all together, and in the privacy of Riku’s bedroom, they could finally relax. Tamaki and Iori both looked eager, and Riku supposed it was understandable, since they still hadn’t seen the relic yet. 

“Rikkun, where is it? Where did you put it?” Tamaki asked excitedly. Riku chuckled and got onto his knees in front of his bed. Then he leaned down and pulled out a cardboard box from underneath. From the box, Riku pulled out the relic he had found behind the wooden panel in the entranceway earlier that day and handed it to Iori, who observed it closely along with Tamaki. 

“Woah… That looks so cool!” Tamaki exclaimed. Riku nodded. “Right? I have no idea what it is though, or what to do with it.” He said. Riku could see Iori trying out if there were any parts of it that could be moved or loosened, but to no avail. “Was there nothing else in there with this?” Iori asked Riku, who shook his head. “Nope, it was a really small compartment, and that was the only thing inside. I’m sure of it.” He answered. 

Iori nodded with a frown. “There has to be something we can do with it… Like with the puzzle box.” He said. “Maybe we just have to translate the hieroglyphs that are on there? Like with that first clue.” Riku suggested. Iori seemed to consider the idea for a while, but then shook his head. “I actually don’t think so. I already recognize a few of the symbols, but I think they’re all symbols for the different gods. I don’t think that has anything to do with the next riddle.” He said. 

Riku nodded, but he still thought about it. “It could though. If we can’t find anything else, I say we give it a shot.” He said. Tamaki groaned. “Ugh, do we have to translate it? It will take forever! Give it here, maybe it does open like the last one, and you two were just too weak to open it…” He said, grabbing the relic from Iori. 

Iori rolled his eyes. “Just be careful, don’t break it.” He said, but he still let Tamaki have a go at it. Then he turned back to Riku. “Maybe we should go back to the cylinders? We still haven’t listened to the last one yet, it’s possible that one has some information.” He said. Riku blinked in confusion. “The last one? Isn’t there two left?” He asked. 

Iori shook his head. “No, the last one was blank, there was nothing recorded on it. So, there’s only one left.” He clarified. “Oh, I see.” Riku said. “Yeah, let’s do that. It’s better than doing nothing.” He said. Iori nodded and pulled out his phone. All three of them sat down on Riku’s bed, though Tamaki was still fiddling with the relic as Iori pressed play. 

After a few seconds of silence, young Sara’s now familiar voice could be heard from the speaker. _“He frightens me. He spends a lot of time in his cellar with dead animals, dead animals that he has stuffed.”_ Iori and Riku looked at each other. It seems as if whoever Sara was afraid of had an interest in taxidermy. 

Sara kept talking, and what she said next made Tamaki stop fiddling with the relic and Iori and Riku just stare at the phone in shock. _“But what frightens me the most is his raven, Corbierre.”_ Iori had to pause the recording then. He looked up at Riku with confused and slightly concerned eyes. “Corbierre? How is that possible?” He asked. Riku shook his head in disbelief. 

“Corbierre?” Tamaki asked. “As in Tsukumo’s stuffed raven?” He asked and Iori nodded. “Maybe Corbierre came with the house? And Tsukumo just took it over when he became the caretaker?” Riku suggested then. Iori nodded, though he looked skeptic. “Yeah, that’s probably right. I mean, it has to be, right?” He asked, though Riku could tell he didn’t mean it. 

“Let’s just keep listening.” Riku said, motioning for Iori to press play again. Iori did just that. _“I’m more convinced than ever that he is responsible for the deaths of my parents. Of course, I can’t prove anything. Ah! He’s coming!”_ Riku, Iori and Tamaki all held their breaths as Sara exclaimed that, because even though she seemed finished, the recording was still going. That was when they heard a voice that definitely did not belong to Sara. 

_“It is ten o’clock! In five minutes, I want to find you in your room, and you must not make a sound for the rest of the night! Absolute silence!”_ A man said. Riku’s eyes widened in shock and in fear, and he was certain that Tamaki and Iori mirrored his own expression. Because the voice on the recording was very familiar. It sounded exactly like that of their own caretaker. It was the voice of Tsukumo Ryou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Another chapter done! Just what is the deal with Tsukumo? Is it really him on the cylinders? I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter, so stay tuned for that! Also, if you would like to see what the new relic looks like, here's a (bad) picture of it: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/6/60/113px-Tube_cylander_thing.png/revision/latest?cb=20110216210805  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter! And also a big thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments! They always make me super happy! <3


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being shaken up by what they heard on the last cylinder, Iori, Riku and Tamaki discover the next clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back with the new chapter! Also, thank you so much for 100 kudos!!! It means a lot to me! <3 I'm excited about this chapter, because we'll get to see something new... I hope you will like it! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The room was dead silent. The recording had ended, and no one really knew what to say. All three of them had undoubtedly recognized the voice that did not belong to Sara. It sounded just like that of Tsukumo Ryou. Riku could feel chills running down his spine at the thought. “No way… That was Tsukumo, right?” Tamaki asked in disbelief, breaking the silence.

“It couldn’t have been…” Iori said, though he was clearly just as shaken by what they had just heard as Riku and Tamaki. “But it must have been him!” Tamaki exclaimed. “It sounded exactly like him! And the whole ‘go to bed and be quiet by 10 o’clock’ thing is the same as now! And she mentioned Corbierre, which is Tsukumo’s raven.” He continued. 

“I know that!” Iori practically yelled. “That’s why this doesn’t make any sense. Those cylinders have to be from the early 1920’s, Tsukumo sounded like he was already an adult in those recordings, which would make him over a hundred years old.” Iori said. Riku gulped. “He’d be a very fit hundred-year-old.” He said. 

“And way too young looking!” Tamaki said. Iori nodded. “That’s why this is so weird! He’s probably in his thirties, forty as most.” He said. “Guys, am I the only one who is more concerned about the fact that this might mean that our caretaker is an actual murderer?” Riku asked, looking frightened. 

“Oh god, we could be living with an actual murderer?” Tamaki asked, both sounding and looking even more afraid than Riku. Iori shook his head. “Okay, calm down, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We don’t actually know for sure that it was Tsukumo on that recording. I mean, if you think about it logically, it would make a lot more sense if it turned out to be someone else.” He said. 

Tamaki frowned. “Really? So, you’re suggesting that it’s all just a big coincidence?” He asked, sounding skeptic. Iori nodded. “Yes. It just so happens that the man on the recording had an identical voice to our that of our caretaker, he also owns a stuffed raven named Corbierre and is obsessed with having people in bed by 10 o’clock.” He said, though both Riku and Tamaki could tell he was not convinced of this. 

Even though Riku felt like maybe they should be more concerned with the fact that the voice they heard sounded just like Tsukumo’s, he still agreed with Iori. Mostly because he didn’t want to believe that it could be true. “Iori is right, we can’t make any assumptions when the only thing we have to go on is a voice on a recording. Besides, the recordings are over 90 years old, the sound quality isn’t exactly the best.” He said. 

Tamaki nodded. “Okay, I guess I can sort of see where you’re coming from…” He said. “But,” Tamaki started again. “What do we do now?” He asked. Iori and Riku seemed to be thinking for a while before coming up with an answer. 

“Well, I think that we should keep what we just heard in mind, and then, maybe go talk to Sara again. I never tried asking her if she knew anyone named Tsukumo, so maybe I can get her to say tell us whether or not it was him on the recordings…” Riku suggested. 

Iori nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. We should also try and figure out what that new relic you found is.” Iori said, turning to look at Riku as he did. “Like, what is it exactly? What is its function? Why do we need it? Were do we go from here?” He said. 

“Yeah…” Riku said. “I have no idea what we’re supposed to do with it, though…” He admitted. Iori put a hand on Riku’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “That’s why we’re in this together. We’ll think this through, and sooner or later we will definitely come up with an answer.” He said determinedly, making Riku feel more at ease. 

Riku smiled and nodded. “You’re right, thank you.” He said. “Hey, you guys.” Tamaki called out then, making Iori and Riku turn to him. “What’s up?” Riku asked. Tamaki, who had begun fiddling with the relic like he had been earlier, did not look up to meet their gazes, instead he kept his gaze firmly on the object in his hands. 

“I may be imagining things.” He started, without looking up for a single second. “But I think you might be able to remove the gem that’s on what I presume is the top of this thing.” He said. That was when Iori and Riku noticed that it was the gem in particular that Tamaki had been fiddling with. 

“Are you sure?” Riku asked excitedly. Tamaki shook his head. “Nope, but maybe… I can get my nails in under it a bit, but that’s it. Either it’s old and worn down, or it’s just really stuck.” He said before sighing and finally turning to look at Iori and Riku. “But we haven’t found anything else, so do you think I should keep prying? Or do I risk breaking if I do that?” Tamaki asked in concern. 

“It’s a fifty-fifty chance, really…” Iori said, looking thoughtful. “If it’s just stuck, we may never find it unless we try and pry it open. But if it’s not, and we break it, we risk destroying it. Who knows, maybe that gem is really important? Do we risk it or not?” He wondered out loud. 

Tamaki groaned. “That’s what I’m asking! Because it’s starting to become a little bit loose, So I’m sure I could pull it out! But I don’t want to do that unless you think I should!” He exclaimed. “I’m really not sure what the best thing to do would be though…” Iori said, sounding hesitant. 

Riku considered their options. On one hand, removing the gem might reveal something new, the next step, a new clue, or something like that. On the other hand, it might also ruin their chances. But maybe it would be fine if they just attached the gem again if they were wrong? Riku sighed, he had made up his mind about what he wanted to do. “I say we do it. We can’t just stop here, we have to try and move on to the next step!” He said. 

“Are you sure?” Iori asked as he turned to Riku. Riku looked a bit unsure then, Iori was the smartest out of the three of them, so if he didn’t think they should do it, maybe they shouldn’t… “Do you not think we should?” Riku asked, sounding smaller than he actually was, which made Iori feel a bit bad. He hadn’t wanted to make Riku doubt himself. 

Iori reached out and grabbed Riku’s shoulders, moving so that the redhead was now facing him. “That’s not what I meant, I just wanted to know if you were certain. I trust you and whatever decision you’ll make, so if you think it best to try and pry the gem off, then I say we go with that decision.” He said, a gentle smile on his face. 

Riku could feel his face heat up as he gave Iori a shy smile, somehow, Riku felt both touched and shy by how much genuine trust Iori seemed to put in him. “Okay, thank you.” Riku said awkwardly, not really sure how else to respond. Iori then let go of Riku and cleared his throat before turning to Tamaki. “Yotsuba-san, you can try and remove the gem.” He said and Riku nodded. 

“Okay!” Tamaki exclaimed determinedly before he started fiddling with the gem on top of the relic again. Riku and Iori could see him trying to get his nails in under it and loosen it that way. Approximately three minutes later, they all heard a plop and the gem fell to the floor. It was silent for a minute, but then Tamaki smiled brightly and held up the relic above his head. “Heck yes! I did it!” He exclaimed happily. 

Riku and Iori both leaned in closer. “And?” Iori asked seriously. “Is there something inside?” Riku asked excitedly, but then he immediately turned worried. “Or did we just break it?” He asked. Tamaki proceeded to bring the relic down and take a look. It was hollow inside, so he decided to turn it upside down to see if there was something in there. To all of their delight, a small, rolled up piece of paper fell out. 

Tamaki turned to Iori and Riku with a smirk. “I found it!” He then said. Riku let out a squeal of pure happiness as he enveloped both Tamaki and Iori in a hug. “Oh my god! We finally have something new!” He exclaimed happily. Tamaki laughed and even Iori couldn’t help but let out a tiny chuckle. 

Once Riku let go of them, Iori turned to Tamaki. “Yotsuba-san, can you read what’s on that paper?” He asked. Tamaki nodded as he unrolled the paper. He frowned before reading what it said out loud. “Ket is the place to find, and there in the flames you must look behind.” Tamaki read. 

Riku pouted. “What does that mean?” He asked. Iori shrugged. “I don’t know… Look behind the flames? But which flames? And what is ‘Ket’? Maybe that’s a good place to start?” He suggested. Tamaki sighed. “Ugh, why can’t any of these clues just be simple and direct? Like, ‘look here and you’ll find this’, or something…” He complained. 

Riku chuckled. “If you hid a treasure that you didn’t want just anybody to find, would you leave such simple clues?” He asked. Tamaki pouted. “I guess not…” He said. Iori shook his head. “Nobody ever said this was going to be easy, but I think we were all prepared for that, no? I, at least, don’t intend to stop looking just because it got difficult.” He said. 

Tamaki glared at Iori then, though Riku could tell that there was no real malice in that glare. “Neither do I! But can’t I still wish that it was easier, even though I won’t give up?” He said. Iori just shrugged. “Now, now, let’s get back to the clue, shall we?” Riku intervened, making the other two turn to him. 

“I agree that trying to find out what ‘Ket’ means is a good start. Maybe it’ll be difficult and take a long time, but at least we know what to do for now. Sibuna?” Riku said as he covered his eye, his voice brimming with determination. Iori and Tamaki nodded and did the same. “Sibuna.” They said in unison. They were all eager to get started and decipher their new clue. 

“Ugh, I’m so tired of this!” Tamaki complained as he cut up his third carrot of the afternoon. Riku chuckled. “We’ve only been working for ten minutes! Keep it up!” He cheered Tamaki on. It had been a couple of days since they found the clue inside the relic and today, which was Tuesday, Riku and Tamaki were on chores duty, thus they were helping Tsumugi prepare dinner while she was off doing the laundry. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Tamaki started. “But I’d much rather be in the library with Iorin than here in the kitchen.” He finished with a sigh. Riku snorted at that, seeing as it was something nobody ever thought they’d here Tamaki of all people say. “Sougo-san would be so proud if he could hear you say that! He’s always nagging you the most about your studies.” Riku said. 

Tamaki sighed. “Yeah, Sou-chan tried to help me all last term, so he would be proud. Did you know that last term, when I refused to study for a test, Sou-chan broke the door to mine and Iori’s bedroom with a screwdriver? Our door handle is still a bit loose because of that…” Tamaki explained. 

“No way? Seriously?” Riku asked, an amused smile on his face. Tamaki nodded. “Yes! It was actually really scary!” He said. Riku shook his head. “I can’t really imagine that… Sougo-san is always so calm and nice.” He said. Tamaki then stared at Riku as if he was crazy. “Just you wait, Sou-chan has a really dark side, and once you see it, it will give you nightmares.” He said seriously. 

Riku laughed awkwardly, he really had a hard time imagining that, but Tamaki sounded so serious… However, that was when a panting Iori entered the kitchen. “Iori? What are you doing here?” Riku asked. He and Tamaki had been forced to return to the house immediately once school ended since they had to help Tsumugi, but Iori had stayed behind and gone to the library in order to do some research. 

Iori was panting really hard and his face was flushed, he had most likely been running to get here. Seeing his state, Riku tensed. Either he had found something, or something had gone wrong, otherwise he wouldn’t have been in such a rush. Luckily though, Riku didn’t have to wait very long to find out what had brought Iori back, as the raven-haired boy started explaining as soon as he had caught his breath. 

“I found it.” He said, still panting a little bit. “Found what, Iorin?” Tamaki asked and Iori smiled. “The meaning to that word. The meaning of ‘Ket’.” He said. Tamaki’s eyes widened. “No way! Really?” He asked excitedly. “Iori, that’s amazing!” Riku then said, a huge grin on his face. “What does it mean?” The redhead then asked. 

Iori brought out his notebook and placed it on the counter for both Riku and Tamaki to see. “Ket is Egyptian for ‘place of fire’.” Iori said and pointed to a paragraph in his notebook that had it all written down. “So, we have to find a place of fire, and then look behind the flames?” Riku asked. Iori nodded. “Yeah, whatever that means.” He said. 

Tamaki frowned. “Why is it ‘place of fire’? Couldn’t they just say fireplace?” He asked. Riku thought for a while. “Is it really that simple? You don’t think it’s too literal?” He asked. Iori shrugged. “I honestly don’t know… With the last riddle, I feel like we over complicated the meaning at first, since it was literally a sunset at midday, so maybe it actually does just mean fireplace?” He suggested. 

Tamaki nodded enthusiastically. Riku frowned but nodded too. “Okay, should we check it out right now? There’s only one fireplace in here, right? In the living room…” He said. Iori nodded. “That’s right. Besides, it looks very old, I bet that thing has definitely been around since the house was first built. And, ‘in the flames you must look behind’ might mean that we have to look behind where the fire would be, so right at the back!” He suggested. 

“Okay, let’s check it out then!” Riku said with a smile. “Right now? But we’re on chores duty…” Tamaki said. Riku rolled his eyes. “If it’s just one fireplace, it won’t take too long! Besides, nobody is there right now! Maybe if we do it now, we won’t have to sneak around tonight.” Riku explained. 

“I agree.” Iori said, receiving a grateful look from Riku. “Okay.” Tamaki said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as he and Riku left their work in the kitchen in order to follow Iori into the living room and to the fireplace. “This is it.” The raven-haired boy said. 

“Iori, can you keep watch while me and Tamaki search the fireplace?” Riku asked. Iori hesitated for a second but then nodded, Riku assumed the hesitation was because Iori might have wanted to search it himself. “Okay, sure.” Iori said in the end. Riku nodded and then he and Tamaki started searching. 

“Do you see anything?” Iori asked after about five minutes. Riku’s head emerged from inside the fireplace. “No, I can’t see anything that’s odd about it, or that seems to have any connection to our search.” He said with a pout. Iori couldn’t help but find Riku’s appearance both adorable and endearing, yet also sort of hilarious, so he snorted and covered his face. 

Riku pouted. “What is it?” He asked in a whiny voice. “It’s… Nothing…” Iori said between chuckles, making Riku even more irritated. “Come on! What’s so funny?” He asked in desperation, hitting Iori’s arm. “It’s just…” Iori started before he pointed at Riku’s face. “You’ve got soot on your face.” He said with a small but amused smile. 

Riku felt his cheeks heat up and he suddenly felt very embarrassed. “Really? Where?” He asked, feeling self-conscious as he reached up and wiped across his own cheek with the sleeve of his shirt. Iori shook his head. “Not there at least… Here, let me.” He said as he reached out and started wiping a bit further down on Riku’s cheek, effectively getting the soot off. 

Riku froze as he felt Iori make contact with his face. The other boy had suddenly changed from being amused and laughing at him to being kind and serious and offering to help him. It made strange things happen in Riku’s chest, though Riku didn’t really know what. He couldn’t even tell if he liked the contact or if he wanted Iori to pull away. 

When Iori did pull away and deemed Riku’s face clean enough, Tamaki poked his head out of the fireplace as well. “Guys, this is impossible! There’s nothing here…” He complained. Riku frowned. “Maybe the riddle isn’t talking about this fireplace after all?” He suggested. 

Iori and Tamaki followed Riku back into the kitchen before Tsumugi returned to find them slacking off. “But it is the only fireplace in the house, what else could the riddle be talking about?” Iori asked as they reached the kitchen. Riku shrugged. “I don’t know… But ‘place of fire’ could refer to any place where there’s a fire, right?” He then asked. 

Iori nodded, although uncertainly. “I suppose so.” He said. “So,” Riku started. “We’re looking for something in this house that is old, it has to have been here while the Watanabes were living here after all, and that is also connected to fire.” He said as he walked back to his old station in the kitchen. 

That was when Riku’s eyes landed on something. “Like an oven.” He said, catching both Iori and Tamaki’s attention. “An oven?” Tamaki questioned. Riku turned to them with an excited look. “Iori, remember that day when we were cleaning the house as a punishment? That same day we put up the chandelier? Tsumugi was complaining about how this old oven in the kitchen was stuck and wouldn’t open, thus couldn’t be used, right?” The redhead explained. 

Realization dawned on Iori. “Of course. An old oven could definitely be seen as a place of fire! And if it doesn’t open, maybe that’s because it’s hiding something.” He said. Riku nodded and then he, followed by Iori and Tamaki, crouched down in front of the old oven. “Rikkun, look! It looks like your locket!” Tamaki pointed out. And sure enough, right in the middle of the oven there was the same symbol as the one on Riku’s locket, the same symbol that indicated how to open the door to the hidden room in the attic. 

Riku smiled and fished out his locket before firmly pressing it to the symbol on the door. With a squeak and a shuffling sound, the door to the oven opened by itself, but what awaited them in there was not the next clue, nor a new relic. It was a path. 

“Where does it go?” Riku asked, trying to see an end to the path before them. “Iori shook his head. “I have no idea.” He said. Tamaki grinned. “There’s only one way to find out!” He exclaimed. However, just as Tamaki was about to crawl inside, they all heard Tsumugi talking to someone in the hallway, and her voice was getting closer and closer. 

Riku hurried to use his locket to close the door to the oven again, and the moment it was closed they heard the door to the kitchen open. Iori, Tamaki and Riku all stood up quick as lightning before Riku and Tamaki got back to work. Tsumugi eyed them suspiciously but seemed to let it go. 

While the housemother had her back turned to them, Iori, Riku and Tamaki leaned in closer to each other. “Looks like we might have to sneak around tonight after all.” Iori said and Tamaki nodded. Riku grinned and spoke. “I’ll come down to your room once Nagi falls asleep, then we’ll check where that path in the oven goes to. Sibuna.” Tamaki and Iori nodded and replied. “Sibuna.” 

Riku sighed in relief as he passed by Tsukumo’s office that night. The caretaker of the house was still awake, fiddling with something in there, so Riku had made a mental note that they would have to be quiet as they explored tonight as to not alert him. He reached the bottom of the stairs and then quickly but silently made his way to Iori and Tamaki’s room, he didn’t want to knock in case Tsukumo heard, so Riku simply opened the door. 

Tamaki and Iori looked a bit startled as Riku suddenly opened and entered through the door, so the redhead gave them an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Tsukumo is still awake so I didn’t want to risk attracting his attention by knocking.” Riku said once he had closed the door behind him. 

Iori immediately turned concerned. “He didn’t see you sneak past him, right?” He asked. Riku smiled and shook his head. Tamaki grinned at that. “We’ve been sneaking around so much, I bet we’re pros now!” He said. Riku chuckled. “Maybe.” He said. Iori rolled his eyes. “Just don’t get overconfident, then you’ll be less careful.” He said. 

Tamaki pouted. “I know that already.” He said. “Good.” Iori simply stated before he stood up. “Should we get going then?” He then asked. Riku nodded enthusiastically before he, Tamaki and Iori quietly made their way into the kitchen. They crouched down and Riku used his locket to open the old oven just like he had done earlier that day. 

Looking ahead, Riku could see the path turn up ahead, but that also meant he couldn’t actually see where it was going. Riku gulped, it was very dark and very cramped, and they had no idea where the path would take them. He just hoped it wasn’t too bad. “Okay, I guess I’ll go first.” Riku said. 

However, just as he was about to crawl in, Riku felt someone take ahold of his shoulder. Riku turned his head around, only to see Iori looking at him in concern. “Are you sure? I could go first if you’d like… We don’t know what we may find in there, it could be dangerous.” He said. 

Riku shook his head. “It’s because of that that I should be the one who goes first. If we need the locket again inside, it’ll just be complicated if I’m at the back.” He argued. Iori nodded reluctantly and Riku gave him a small smile in return. “Thanks for offering though.” He said before he once more faced the tunnel and started crawling through it. 

Iori followed close behind, and after him came Tamaki. Once they were all inside, the door closed on its own. “Woah, is that going to be okay? Will we be able to get back out?” Tamaki asked, sounding scared. Riku, who was starting to feel his breathing becoming slightly uneven, answered him. “We’ve just got to continue and hope for the best, okay?” He said. Tamaki nodded, not that Riku could see it from where he was. 

They continued down the narrow path, and it wasn’t long until they reached a hole. Riku stopped just in front of it. “There’s a hole with a ladder going down here.” Riku said before turning to Iori and Tamaki with his flashlight. They both nodded and then Riku started the descent. 

It wasn’t that far, and the room he was now stood in was still cramped, but at least he could stand up straight and wouldn’t have to crawl anymore. When all three of them were down, Riku turned around and saw nothing but a wooden wall. “Is it a dead end?” Tamaki asked in confusion. 

That’s when Iori noticed something. “No, it’s not. Look there, at the bottom!” He said, pointing at the very bottom of the wall. And right there, along the bottom part of a few boards, there was a line of dim light. “Some of the boards are loose.” Riku said. “Or it’s actually a door, not a wall.” Iori then clarified. 

And it turns out he was right, because a portion of the wall could be pushed out and then to the side, revealing a big, dimly lit room in front of them. There were bookshelves filled with everything but books, a wardrobe, something that looked like an incinerator, as well as a table filled with test tubes and strange liquids. But what stood out the most were the dozens of dead, stuffed animals around. 

“Oh my god.” Riku exclaimed as he observed the room. “What is this place?” Tamaki asked in disgusted awe. Iori simply stared. “I think I might have an idea.” He started. “We’re obviously below the first floor of Anubis house, so this has to be the cellar.” He explained. 

Tamaki stared at Iori. “Wait, but we’re not allowed to be here, right?” He asked in concern. “We weren’t allowed to be in the attic either, but nothing really stopped us from going up there.” Riku pointed out. “This is riskier though.” Iori stated. Riku turned to him in confusion. “Why is that?” He asked. “Because,” Iori started. “Tsukumo never went to the attic until recently, but he’s always spent a lot of time down here.” He said. 

“So, what you’re saying is…” Riku started and Iori turned to him. “That we’re more likely to be discovered down here than up there.” He finished. Riku gulped. “Well, at least we won’t have to steal the key or pick the lock in order to get down here. Do you think Tsukumo knows about the passage from the kitchen?” He asked. 

Iori shook his head. “I find that unlikely. If he knew, he would have surely blocked it off ages ago.” He explained. “But why are we down here? It’s even creepier than the attic…” Tamaki said. Holding onto his flashlight for dear life. “The next clue must be down here somewhere.” Riku said and Iori nodded. “That has to be the case. Let’s start looking.” He said. 

Tamaki was looking through the bookshelves, frowning at all the disgusting things he found there. Iori immediately went up to the table with the test tubes, it looked almost like a science lab. “I wonder what he’s making here…” Iori whispered to himself as he picked up a sample and smelled it, then frowning at the acidic smell. Riku just wandered around the room, looking for anything of interest. 

“If Tsukumo spends so much time here…” Tamaki started, gaining the other two’s attention. “Then wouldn’t he have found whatever was hidden here by now?” He asked. Iori frowned. “That concerned me too. It’s definitely a possibility.” He said. However, Riku really didn’t think that was the case. “What if it was something that Tsukumo never questioned was down here?” He asked. 

Iori frowned and turned to Riku. “What makes you think that?” He asked. Riku pointed at one of the walls, making both Iori and Tamaki come over there and see for themselves. “Because I think I just found what we’re looking for.” He said. 

On the wall in front of them there was a drawing of a fire, and under it, an old tethering ring was attached to the wall. “And there in the flames you must look behind.” Riku repeated the riddle. Tamaki frowned. “What is that?” He asked. Iori walked up to the ring. “It’s an old tethering ring, it was used to tie up animals, making them stay put.” He explained. 

Riku took a closer look, the ring was quite big, about as wide as his own head, and covered in dust. Riku tried rubbing it away, and in doing so, he discovered the surface beneath. “This is definitely it. Look!” He exclaimed as he held it out for Iori and Tamaki to see. Beneath the layer of dirt and dust, the surface of the ring was in gold with symbols on it. More specifically, the symbols were hieroglyphs. 

Tamaki grinned. “Okay, let’s get it off the wall then!” He exclaimed. Riku and Iori took a step back, letting Tamaki, who was undoubtedly the physically strongest amongst them try to get it off the wall so that they could bring it back up with them. Tamaki soon did it, and they all cheered as they had their next clue. 

However, that was when they heard the door to the attic open and a strip of light shone through. They all looked at each other in panic. “Tsukumo!” Riku whispered. Then all three of them started running back towards the hidden tunnel back to the kitchen. Though they soon realized they would never make it there and get the door opened and closed in time, and so they all hid in the closet that was stood against another wall. 

It was cramped and the air wasn’t any good, which was getting to Riku more than to the other two. Iori noticed Riku’s breathing becoming faster and louder, which worried him, and so, he pulled the redhead into his arms, stroking his upper arms in hope that it would calm him down. When Iori felt Riku reach up and grip his hands tight while the rest of his body relaxed against Iori’s chest, the raven-haired boy let out a sigh of relief. 

Tamaki, who had opened the door to the closet just a tiny bit, gasped as he saw Tsukumo outside. Riku and Iori noticed and joined him in spying on their caretaker, Riku holding onto Iori’s hand in a death grip to keep himself calm all the while. When they looked outside, they saw Tsukumo standing by the table with all the test tubes. 

The older man picked up a glass bottle that was filled with a strange orange-y liquid. They could see him smirking as he opened the bottle and raised it in the air. “To life.” He then said as a toast before putting the bottle to his lips and taking a sip of whatever was in there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was Tsukumo doing? Will they be okay with their hiding spot or will he find them? Find out more on Saturday, which is when I'll be back with the next chapter (Just as usual). Also, I'm excited to finally be getting to explore the cellar as well, hopefully you will find that interesting too. Thank you for reading this chapter, and an extra thank you to those who leave kudos and comments! They really make my day! ^^


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up where the last chapter left off, Iori, Riku and Tamaki come out of hiding once Tsukumo leaves and deal with what follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back again with teh next chapter. Also, I forgot to add this last chapter, but here is a picture of the tethering ring they found, for those who are curious: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/4/4d/Flames_on_the_wall.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/246?cb=20110227164537  
> With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! If you have any questions or want to talk you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

“What the hell was that?” Tamaki asked while panting as he tumbled out of the closet, closely followed by Iori and Riku. Once Tsukumo had left the cellar and the three had made sure that they were alone, they opened the door to the closet and stopped hiding. “What was Tsukumo doing?” Tamaki then asked when nobody answered his first question.

Riku had been trying to keep his breathing silent while they were still hiding in the closet, but in doing so, he wasn’t getting enough air. And so, right after he exited the closet, he collapsed onto the ground, panting hard. Tamaki looked down on him in concern while Iori immediately crouched down by his side. “Nanase-san, are you okay?” He asked, even though he could already tell that he wasn’t. 

Riku shook his head and reached a shaky hand into his own pockets, pulling out his inhaler. However, his vision was spinning and his hands were shaking, so getting it open turned out to be a bit difficult and he ended up dropping it. Iori then picked it up instead, then he was helping Riku use it while holding him close, hoping it would help him calm down. 

“Rikkun, what’s going on?” Tamaki asked, sounding a bit afraid. Riku didn’t blame him, knowing he had asthma was one thing, but actually seeing him get an attack must be something completely different. Once he calmed down a bit, Riku looked up and gave Tamaki a weak smile while still holding on to Iori for support. 

“I’m sorry, I… didn’t mean to worry you…” He managed to get out between breaths. “I think it was… A combination of the dust… fear of being discovered… and being forced to hold my breath while confined in a small space…” Riku continued. Tamaki nodded, still looking worried. “Do you need anything?” He then asked. 

“Just some time to recover is all… And a bit of rest.” Riku responded. “Do you think you can stand now?” Iori then asked. Riku smiled and nodded, and while he did manage to stand up properly, it was only while leaning heavily on Iori. That attack had taken a lot out of him. 

“We should head back.” Iori said. Riku and Tamaki nodded. “Yeah, before Tsukumo comes back and gets even creepier.” Tamaki stated with a shudder. “What do you think he was doing?” Riku asked as they started making their way back to the secret tunnel. “Well, he was drinking something and toasting to ‘life’. Whatever that means.” Iori said. 

“Yeah, but why? And what did he drink?” Riku kept asking. Iori shook his head. “I have no idea, but I have a feeling it wasn’t apple juice.” He said, which made Tamaki chuckle a bit. The three then made their way back through the passageway and back into the kitchen. It had been a long night filled with lots of weird things happening, but at least they had managed to find the next piece in the puzzle that would lead them to the treasure. 

Iori had wanted to follow Riku up to his room, to make sure that the redhead got back alright since he still seemed a bit shaken by the attack he’d had earlier. Riku had ensured him that he’d be fine on his own though, and in the end, Iori had to give in. He and Tamaki went back to their own room while Riku headed back upstairs. The redhead went straight to bed, trying to process everything that had happened that night while also trying to fall asleep. 

The next morning rolled around, and while eating breakfast, Iori observed that Riku was unusually late. He was usually amongst the first ones to get there, but today, he was the only one who still wasn’t there. Iori was a bit worried after what had happened the previous night, and so he turned to Nagi, surely, he would know. “Rokuya-san, did something happen to Nanase-san? He’s not usually late for breakfast…” He said. 

Nagi smiled sadly and turned to Iori. “I think he’s feeling a bit sick… He was already awake when I woke up, but he looked a bit pale and really tired. He said he was probably going to skip school today.” Nagi explained. “Oh no, did he have a fever?” Sougo asked in concern. Nagi shook head. “No, I had Tsumugi check, but he didn’t have any. Though he seemed to be coughing a bit, so maybe he’s catching a cold.” He speculated. 

Iori was now starting to feel more worried. Had Riku not gotten better like he said he would? Iori would have to go up and check on him before school. “Iorin…” Tamaki spoke up, catching everybody’s attention. “Isn’t it more likely that it’s just Rikkun’s asthma acting up rather than him having a cold?” He asked. Now, Iori knew Tamaki didn’t mean anything bad, but Iori was pretty sure Riku hadn’t told everyone else about his condition yet. It was a bit personal after all. 

Just as Iori suspected, everyone looked rather shocked at this new revelation. “Nanase has asthma?” Gaku asked. “Really? He never told me…” Nagi then said, sounding a bit sad. Maybe he thought since they were roommates Riku would have told him things like that. “It would have to be pretty bad in order for him to get this bad though?” Mitsuki suggested. 

Iori sighed but nodded, confirming what Tamaki had accidentally told them. Iori made a mental note to explain and apologize to Riku later. “Yes, it’s true. Riku has asthma, and it’s quite serious. Apparently he had to spend a lot of time in and out of hospitals while growing up because of it. He told me it’s gotten better as he’s grown up, but it still bothers him from time to time. Maybe he had a bad night, and that’s why he’s feeling sick.” Iori said, though he actually already knew that was the case. 

The others tried to ask some more questions after that, but Iori just answered that it wasn’t really his place to answer and that they should just ask Riku himself once he was feeling better. Then he finished his breakfast and headed into the kitchen. Iori made a mug of hot milk with honey, something he enjoyed quite a lot when he felt under the weather. He hoped it would make Riku feel a bit better and that it would also help him accept Iori’s apology. 

Once it was finished, Iori headed up the stairs and knocked on the door to Riku’s room. “Come in.” Iori heard a familiar voice say from the other side of the door. Iori opened it and stepped inside, making sure to close the door behind him. He then turned to Riku, who was laying in his bed, snuggled up under his blanket. Iori would say he looked rather comfortable, if he hadn’t been that pale, with huge, dark bags under his eyes and a generally uncomfortable expression. 

“Iori…” Riku said, his voice was a bit hoarse and sounded very tired. Iori gave Riku a small, reassuring smile before sitting down on the side of Riku’s bed. “How are you feeling?” Iori asked. Riku shrugged and tried to give Iori a smile, though Iori could tell it was a bit forced. “I’m tired, but it’s not that bad. I just didn’t manage to get any sleep last night, I was coughing so much and it kept me up all night.” Riku explained. 

Iori nodded before holding out the steaming mug he had brought. “I don’t know if you like this, but I made you some warm milk with honey. It’s quite soothing for the throat, and it usually makes me feel a bit better when I’m sick.” He explained. Riku smiled, this time a bit more genuine, and then pushed himself up into a sitting position before taking the mug from Iori. “Thank you, that’s so sweet! It smells really good.” He said. 

Iori breathed a sigh of relief as Riku accepted the hot drink. “Also…” Iori started before he explained what had happened that morning to Riku. The redhead had initially looked a bit worried, but he soon relaxed. Iori was just glad that he didn’t seem angry with him. “I’m sorry, I know you hadn’t told them yet and all…” Iori finished. 

Riku just smiled and shook his head. “It was going to have to come out sooner or later. I guess I was just looking for a good time to tell them myself, so at least I won’t have to do that anymore.” He said with a sheepish smile. “It’s really alright, Iori. Don’t feel bad about it.” Riku then added. 

Iori sighed, but nodded, which satisfied Riku. “So,” Iori then said, making Riku look at him questioningly. “You’re staying here today, right? You shouldn’t push yourself and go to school if you’re not feeling well.” He said and Riku chuckled. “Don’t worry, I already talked to Tsumugi about doing that.” He said. 

Iori nodded contentedly. “Good. I’ll make sure to take notes for you in class today, and then I can go over them with you tonight?” Iori offered. Riku smiled. “I’d like that, thank you!” He exclaimed. Iori felt something in the pit of his stomach, but he chose to ignore it. Though, if he was being honest, that specific feeling was getting harder and harder to ignore, and he would soon have to admit the truth. 

Iori then stood up and started to leave when he felt Riku grab ahold of his sleeve. Iori turned back to him. “One more thing.” Riku started. “Can you bring the ring after school? Maybe we could look at it together after we finish our school stuff. See if we can find the next clue.” Riku suggested. Iori smiled and nodded. “Sure, but only after you finish your homework.” He said. 

Riku pouted, but that pout soon turned into a smile and a chuckle, which in turn turned into a series of coughs, which alarmed Iori. Once Riku had calmed down and assured Iori that everything would be fine, Iori reluctantly left the room. He wished it would have been the weekend, that way he could have stayed and taken care of Riku instead of going to school. 

Out in the hallway, Iori ran into Nagi, who was presumable going back to his room to get his bag before heading out to school. “Oh? Iori, were you checking in on Riku?” He asked with a smug smile and a wink. _‘Right, he still thinks we are dating in secret.’_ Iori thought as a light flush covered his cheeks. “I was just letting him know that I’d take notes for him in school today, and that we’d go over today’s homework together tonight.” Iori said, he tried to ignore Nagi’s implications, but the older boy wasn’t making it very easy with his suggestive looks. 

“Whatever you say. I’m sure Riku is happy to have you looking after him.” Nagi then said before giving Iori another wink and walking off to his room. Iori sighed and shook his head in order to try and clear his mind. Then he headed downstairs and left for school. 

Once everyone left, Riku did manage to fall asleep. He woke up three hours later and felt a lot better, despite only having slept for a couple of hours. Riku knew he should probably stay in bed a bit longer, to make sure he really recovered, but he suddenly felt awfully restless. There was an itch that made him really want to get up and do something. 

And so, after trying to ignore it for about twenty minutes, Riku decided that he had to get up and do something, anything. He got dressed and left his room, and as he got downstairs, he suddenly felt like visiting Sara. He hadn’t been there for a while now, and he felt a bit bad about it, so now that he wasn’t in school, he might as well take the chance to go and visit her. 

Since no one was home for the time being, Riku left a not for Tsumugi, just in case she came back and wondered why he wasn’t in his room. Then he left. As he walked, Riku wrapped his coat tighter around himself, it was starting to get a bit chilly as the seasons were shifting. In that moment Riku was glad that the retirement home was so close, seeing as he shouldn’t get too cold now that he had just recovered from an attack. 

When Riku got to the retirement home, he was surprised to see that the door to Sara’s room was slightly ajar, and even more shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice coming from inside. Riku had never seen Sara with another visitor before, and according to Tomiko, the woman who worked there, Sara didn’t have any family or friends left. 

Riku’s curiosity got the better of him and he sneaked up to the door and peeked through the crack in the door. What he saw next shocked him even more, because Riku soon realized that he recognized the man who was sat on the chair next to Sara’s bed, holding her hand and talking to her. Riku had only seen him once, but he would recognize him anywhere. The man on the other side of the door was Kujou Takamasa, the man who had taken his beloved Tenn-nii away. 

Riku hadn’t seen Takamasa since Tenn left them, but as far as he could tell, the man hadn’t changed at all. The sama pale skin, bony face, dark hair that covered one half of his face and cold eyes. Riku gulped. _‘Why would he of all people be visiting Sara?’_ Riku wondered. 

Then Takamasa started speaking again, and that was when Riku got his next big shock of that visit. “Talk to me, Sara. Please. I’m running out of time and you’re the only one who knows the truth. You can’t hold it from me forever, it’s too important of a secret to take with you to the grave.” He said. _‘He knows that her name is Sara? And an important secret that only Sara knows about… Could he be talking about the treasure?’_ Riku thought to himself. He was really confused right now. 

Sara luckily seemed to be a bit out of it that day, she only stared out the window as Takamasa talked to her. “Your parents wouldn’t have wanted it to remain hidden forever, right? I can help you, I can make things right, just tell me what to do.” Takamasa continued and Riku was now even more convinced that he was talking about the treasure. But what did that mean? Riku didn’t know what to think, but he had a really bad feeling about this. He just hoped that even if Takamasa was involved, that it had nothing to do with Tenn. 

For a few more minutes, Riku eavesdropped on Sara and Takamasa, but he didn’t really get any answers as Sara never said anything. After a while, Takamasa seemed to give up as he sighed before standing up to leave. Riku gasped as he hurried to hide behind another door until he had left. It was only once Takamasa was outside of the retirement home that Riku let out a sigh of relief and dared to come out from his hiding spot. 

Riku walked back to Sara’s door and knocked before entering. The old woman looked up at him and smiled, Riku could tell this was one of those days when she was a bit confused, but she seemed to at least recognize him as she motioned for him to join her by the bed. Riku smiled and walked over. 

He talked to her about some casual things at first, and Sara mostly nodded and smiled. When he started asking her about the treasure, she seemed to understand, but she didn’t provide him with any answers, at least not any that made sense. Riku then decided that he should try and ask her about her other visitor. “Sara, that man who visited you just now, who was he? Do you know him?” Riku asked. 

Sara smiled at him. “Oh, you mean Masa-kun? We used to play together as children.” She said sounding quite nostalgic. Riku frowned. “I think you’re mistaken, he is a lot younger than you, you couldn’t have been childhood friends.” Riku said. Sara shook her head. “No, Masa-kun and I have been friends since forever. He was my best friend.” She said, but then she turned sad. “But I guess not even that friendship lasted. They take everything away from you in the end, after all…” She said. 

Riku knew that he couldn’t take everything that Sara told him at face value, but she seemed so sure about what she was saying. And ‘Masa-kun’ could be a reference to the name Takamasa… But it had to be impossible, after all, Takamasa couldn’t be older than fifty, Riku wasn't even sure he was in his forties yet, and Sara was already over ninety years old. Them being childhood friends just wasn’t an option. 

Riku sighed as he left the retirement home a few minutes later. In the end, the visit had created more questions than answers. Riku decided to just head back to the house for now and wait for Iori and Tamaki to return. Maybe they could talk some sense into him. 

The day had felt unusually long, but Iori and Tamaki were finally on their way back to Anubis House. “Hey, Iorin?” Tamaki called out, but he received no reply. He frowned and tried again. “Iorin?” Still no reply. Tamaki decided to try poking his cheek instead. This got a reaction out of Iori as he frowned and swatted Tamaki’s hand away. “What?” He asked, sounding almost offended. 

“You were spacing out, I called for you three times but you wouldn’t answer!” Tamaki exclaimed. “Sorry.” Iori said, though Tamaki could tell he wasn’t all that serious. “You really miss Rikkun, huh?” Tamaki then asked. 

Iori stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at Tamaki with a scandalized expression. His face was beat red, and he was stuttering. “W-what? That’s ridiculous! I-I saw him just this morning! W-why would I miss him?” Iori stuttered out in panic, which made Tamaki chuckle. “Iorin, you’re so obvious!” the blue-haired boy managed to get out between laughs. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Iori said as he averted his gaze, his face was still as flushed as before. “I may be an idiot, but even I can see the way you look at him. You have a crush.” Tamaki said, and Iori could tell he was teasing now. However, even though Iori knew this, it still got to him. “I do not!” He exclaimed defensively. 

Tamaki ignored him. “Knowing you, though, you’re still in the denial phase of the crush. Don’t worry though, Iorin, I’m sure it will all work out eventually!” Tamaki said with a grin. Iori hit his friend’s arm and then increased his speed, walking away from Tamaki. “You can run from me, but not from your emotions!” Tamaki exclaimed. “Shut up!” Iori yelled back. 

Tamaki laughed and then caught up to Iori, though the blue-haired boy didn’t say anything more about Iori’s crush. Soon, the two of them arrived at the house, and the moment they stepped inside they were met with an impatient looking Riku sat in the armchair in the entranceway. “Finally!” He exclaimed as he saw Iori and Tamaki enter. 

“Nanase-san? Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” Iori asked in concern, ignoring the knowing look Tamaki gave him. Riku rolled his eyes as he walked up to them. “I did rest, but that’s not important right now! Let’s go to your room, urgent Sibuna meeting. Now.” Riku said, looking serious. 

Iori and Tamaki looked at each other hesitantly, what could have happened while they were gone? Still, they nodded and then the three went straight to Iori and Tamaki’s room, before anyone could interrupt them. Once they were inside and the door was closed, they all took a seat in a circle on Tamaki’s bed. “Rikkun, what happened? Why do we need to have an urgent Sibuna meeting?” Tamaki asked. 

Riku looked a bit hesitant at first, but then he started explaining. “I went to visit Sara today.” He admitted. “What? But you were supposed to be resting!” Iori exclaimed. Riku rolled his eyes. “And I already told you, I was resting! But then I felt better and wanted to do something, so I figured, since it’s been a while, I should go and visit Sara.” He said. 

Iori didn’t look completely happy with this, but they all knew he was just concerned. “Okay, but what happened with Sara?” Tamaki asked curiously. “Well…” Riku started. “When I got there, she already had another visitor. The thing is, she’s never had a visitor before, and the lady who works there told me she has no family or friends who are still alive.” He said. 

Iori frowned. “Okay, but it’s still not an impossibility that she’d get a visitor other than us, right?” He asked. “There’s one more thing.” Riku said. “I recognized the man who was visiting her.” Riku admitted. Tamaki and Iori’s eyes widened in shock. “No way? Who was it? Tsukumo?” Tamaki asked. 

Riku shook his head. “It was Kujou Takamasa.” He said. Iori gaped at him and Tamaki was a bit lost. “Who?” Tamaki asked. “Kujou Takamasa, as in Kujou Tenn’s father? Or adoptive father, I mean.” Iori asked and Riku nodded. “Tenten’s dad? And wait, Tenten is adopted?” Tamaki asked confusedly before turning to Riku and adding. “Wait, do you know Tenten’s dad?” 

“Well, I wouldn’t say I know him…” Riku started. “But I have seen him before… Also, there’s something I should probably tell you, Tamaki.” Riku admitted, earning a questioning look from the other boy. Iori reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s wrist. “Are you sure? You don’t have to, you know… Tell…” Iori said, trying to be reassuring. 

Riku smiled weakly and shook his head. “It’s fine, I want to discuss this without acting like I don’t know anything. And I trust Tamaki.” He said. Iori nodded, his expression serious. “Wait…” Tamaki started. “Was there something you never told me?” He asked, sounding a bit hurt. 

Riku smiled apologetically and reached out to take ahold of Tamaki’s hand. “It’s not about the treasure, I promise you already know as much as we do about that. This is something more… personal? Iori is the only one I’ve told about this before.” Riku said, which made Tamaki feel a little bit better. “Also, can you please promise not to tell anyone about this?” Riku asked. 

Tamaki nodded. “Okay, I promise.” He said seriously before holding up a hand over his eye. “I swear on Sibuna.” He said. Riku smiled at that. “Good.” He said before he started explaining. “Do you remember how, when I first got here, Yaotome-san sort of accused me for being responsible for Kujou Tenn’s disappearance?” He asked. 

Tamaki nodded and then realization dawned on him. “Wait, was he right? Did you make Tenten leave?” He asked in shock. Riku shook his head. “No! But I did lie about not knowing anything about Kujou Tenn… You see, he’s sort of my brother.” Riku finally admitted. 

Tamaki blinked in confusion. “You two are brothers? You and Tenten? Does that mean you’re actually Kujou Riku?” He asked. Riku shook his head. “No, he’s the one who is actually named Nanase Tenn… We’re twins, though I haven’t seen or spoken to him for years now… Kujou Takamasa promised to pay off my parents’ debt if he got to take custody of my brother, and I haven’t seen Tenn-nii since he left with him. I actually came to this school because I wanted to see him again, but then he left just as I got here…” Riku finished explaining. 

“Okay…” Tamaki said, though he still looked a bit confused. “I think I mostly understand… But do you know why he left then? Tenten that is.” Tamaki asked. Riku shook his head. “No, I have no idea… But I feel like the others, mainly Yaotome-san, would go off on me if they knew… I at least want to wait for a little bit before I tell them.” Riku explained. 

Tamaki nodded. “Okay, I get it! I won’t say anything!” He exclaimed with a grin. “But then…” Tamaki started talking again. “What was the man who adopted Tenten doing with Sara?” He asked confused. “Yeah, I’m wondering that too.” Iori added. 

“They were just talking. Or, at least Kujou-san was talking, Sara was mostly looking out the window. But the freaky thing is that he knows that her real name is Sara, I heard him calling her that. And I think he knows about the treasure too. He asked Sara about it and offered to find it for her.” Riku explained. 

Now that made Iori and Tamaki understand why Riku had called for an urgent meeting. “No way… He knows the truth?” Iori asked in concern. Riku nodded. “Though I don’t think he knows where it is, he wanted Sara to tell him where to look. He also said that he was running out of time, which makes me think that maybe we need to find the treasure soon, too. Or maybe it will be too late.” Riku said. 

“That’s a bit worrying.” Iori said thoughtfully. “I mean, both the fact that someone else is looking for the treasure and that we apparently have a time limit to find the treasure… Did he mention how much time there was left?” He then asked. Riku shook his head. “No, he didn’t say anything about that. But now I’m wondering if the fact that he removed Tenn-nii from the school when he did has something to do with the treasure… Like, maybe it will be dangerous to stay here or something…” Riku speculated. 

“Well, there’s not much we can do… The only one we can ask about any of this is Sara, and she doesn’t seem to be giving us all that many answers. I suppose we could keep our eyes open, see if Kujou Takamasa comes back to visit Sara again. And if he does, we can eavesdrop, see if he tells us anything more.” Iori suggested. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s also the best we can do right now.” He said. Tamaki frowned. “Did you ask Sara about what he said?” He then asked. Riku nodded. “Yes, but she didn’t really give me any clear answers. Though she did say something that was a bit weird…” He admitted. 

“What was it?” Iori asked, sounding intrigued. “Well, when I asked her about Kujou-san, she referred to him as ‘Masa-kun’ and claimed that they used to play together as children. But that has to be impossible, I mean, I think he’s only around forty and she’s over ninety.” Riku said. 

Iori frowned. “That is weird… You don’t suppose it has anything with Tsukumo appearing on our cylinders? I mean, there seems to be an awful lot of people appearing in times they shouldn’t be…” He said. “I thought we agreed it wasn’t Tsukumo in the cylinders!” Tamaki whined. 

“We agreed that it was highly unlikely. But in the end, there’s just so much we don’t know.” Iori said. Riku nodded. “I was thinking about that too… But for now, I think all we can do is keep an eye out and keep on solving these clues. Speaking of, can we take a look at that tethering ring we found in the cellar last night?” Riku asked. 

“Of course.” Iori said before he went to get the ring out from where he had hidden it under his bed. He then rejoined Riku and Tamaki. “Okay, the outside seems mostly decorative, or ornamental… But there are all of these numbers on the inside, do you think those are the next riddle?” Riku asked as he took a closer look at the ring. 

Iori nodded. “That seems like the most plausible option. Yotsuba-san, can you grab a notebook and a pen from my desk?” Iori asked. “Got it!” Tamaki replied as got up from the bed to get what Iori had asked for. Iori wrote up the numbers and then frowned. “The difficult thing is, I don’t know where to start. There’s no indication of which number comes first, and the space between them seems to be just as big everywhere.” Iori said. 

“Can I look?” Tamaki asked. Iori nodded and handed him the ring while he himself went over the numbers with Riku. “Can you make anything of it?” Riku asked. Iori shook his head. “Not really… There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to it, and I really don’t think we’re just supposed to add them… It might be some sort of math problem, but I don’t think we can solve it with just a bunch of numbers without even knowing which one comes first.” He explained. 

“one, nine and two.” Tamaki then said. Iori and Riku looked up at him. “What?” Iori asked. “Well, I was thinking that maybe not every number on there was relevant? Each number only appear once or twice, except for one, nine and two, they appear a lot. Especially two.” Tamaki explained. 

Iori looked down at the paper he had written and saw that Tamaki was right. “There is a pattern, I just didn’t notice it because of the irrelevant numbers in between. If you take away all the numbers that aren’t one, nine or two, the inside of the ring just repeats one, nine, two, two.” Iori exclaimed. 

Realization dawned on Riku then. “Or 1922. That was the year the Watanabes named this house Anubis!” Riku said with a bright smile. “Okay, but what does it mean? We have a year, but what are we supposed to do with it?” Tamaki asked with a frown. “Maybe we have to find something that’s related to it?” Riku suggested. 

“Or something that came here that year.” Iori said and turned to Riku. “Wasn’t 1922 also the year they excavated Tutankhamun’s tomb? Maybe we’re looking for something they brought back?” He suggested. Riku raised an eyebrow in question. “What, like the treasure? But this doesn’t tell us anything about where to look though…” Riku said. 

Iori rolled his eyes. “No, the treasure was something they brought back even though they weren’t supposed to. I think we’re looking for something that they were allowed to bring back. Something they didn’t steal and that is rightfully theirs. Something they're keeping on display” Iori stated. “What about that sarcophagus?” Tamaki suggested. 

“The one in the entranceway?” Riku asked and Tamaki nodded. “Doesn’t Tsukumo always tell us to be extra careful with it since it’s an authentic relic from the original owners of the house? He tells me every time he or Tsumugi tells me to clean there at least.” He said. 

Riku smiled. “Let’s check it!” He said before he stood up and left the room. Iori tried to call out for him to wait, but since he was already out of the room, he supposed there was no point in doing that anymore. Iori sighed and followed Riku into the hallway, with Tamaki in tow. 

They found the redhead kneeling in front of the sarcophagus, observing it closely. “Find anything?” Iori asked. Riku didn’t answer, instead he simply pointed at the bottom and grinned. Iori and Tamaki crouched down to get a better look. At the very bottom of the relic, there was a panel that said ‘1922’. 

“That has to be it!” Tamaki exclaimed. Riku nodded and started fiddling with the panel, and soon he managed to get it open. Riku smiled triumphantly as he pulled out a folded piece of paper with a huge grin. “We have our next clue.” He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh, new clue! Also, lot's of Iori worrying about Riku this chapter... I'll be back with the next one on Wednesday, so I hope you look forward to that! ^^ Thank you for reading, and also for leaving kudos and comments, they make my day! <3


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku, Iori and Tamaki find a new clue and someone pays a visit to Anubis House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter. We'll soon (not this chapter though) enter one of my favourite arcs, so look forward to that in the near future! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^ If you have any questions or just want to talk you can contact me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Riku, Iori and Tamaki were so excited to have found something new. They were just about to fold open the piece of paper and reveal the next riddle when they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Their hearts sank and Riku hurried to hide the note as they all turned around, only to see Tsukumo standing behind them with a glare. “What is going on here?” He asked suspiciously.

“Uhm...” Riku started, he was really flustered, and he could see that Iori and Tamaki were not any better. Still, they needed some sort of excuse to tell Tsukumo. “I dropped my contact, so we’re looking for it.” Riku said, hoping Tsukumo would buy it. Iori and Tamaki nodded enthusiastically in agreement. 

Tsukumo frowned but said no more, instead he simply turned around and walked away. Riku let out a sigh of relief, Tamaki and Iori mirroring him seconds later. “I didn’t think you had contact lenses, Rikkun.” Tamaki stated. 

Riku smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I do own a pair, but I don’t really use them...” He started. “My eyesight isn’t that bad, and I don’t really like how they feel.” Riku explained. “Oh, I see.” Tamaki said. 

“Well, good thinking there, Nanase-san. If Tsukumo had caught on, he would have definitely taken the new clue away.” Iori said. Riku turned to him with a small and almost shy smile. “Thank you, Iori.” Riku answered. Tamaki cleared his throat a minute later, seeing as Riku and Iori seemed to be having a moment and he felt left out. 

Riku and Iori both flushed as they realized that they had gotten caught up in the moment. “Are we going to sit here all night or are we actually going to check the clue?” Tamaki asked with a smug smile on his face. “Right.” Iori started, his face still a bit flushed. “Let’s get back to the room so that we don’t get any more unwanted interruptions, okay?” He suggested. 

Riku nodded and stood up. “That’s probably for the best, yeah.” He said, and then they all left the entranceway in order to move back to Iori and Tamaki’s shared room. Once there they all sat down and Iori and Tamaki started at Riku in anticipation, seeing as he was the one who had the piece of paper with the new clue on it. “Come on! What does it say?” Tamaki asked impatiently. 

Riku smiled and pulled the folded piece of paper out. “Let’s take a look.” He said before he started unfolding it. All three of them held their breaths as he did so. Once Riku was done, he frowned before reading it out loud. “Beleathered and clasped, the one place where ’yesterday’ always follows ’tomorrow’.” 

Everyone was silent, thinking about what the riddle could possibly mean. “I don’t get it.” Tamaki said with a sigh. “Neither do I…” Riku said and shook his head. “Well,” Iori started. “We’ll just have to take some time and think about it, right? It’s not like the answers to these riddles usually come easy, we were just lucky with the numbers just now. We’ll figure it out.” He encouraged. 

Riku and Tamaki nodded and grinned. “That’s right! We’re Sibuna, and we won’t give up!” Tamaki exclaimed, making Riku giggle. They didn’t get much time to do that right now though, as it was time for dinner. And so they joined the others in the dining room, leaving the riddle for another time. 

It was now Friday afternoon and Riku, Iori and Tamaki hadn’t really gotten anywhere with the riddle, which was a bit frustrating, but they were still hanging in there. Iori and Tamaki were probably back at the house, working on it right now. Riku was still making his way back, having visited Sara again after school. She hadn’t really given them any new answers, but Riku usually felt better after having visited her, she made him remember that they had to stick it out, why they were looking for the treasure, that it was all for her. 

That was when Riku spotted a black car pulling up to the House of Anubis, a car he knew didn’t belong to either Tsukumo or Tsumugi. Riku frowned, who could it be? When he saw who exited car, his eyes widened in shock. “Kujou Takamasa?” Riku whispered to himself. “Is he here to visit Sara again? But then, why would he pull up to Anubis House?” He asked to no one in particular. 

However, that was when Riku felt someone tap his shoulder and whispering in return. “Who is Sara?” Riku turned around so fast he might get a whiplash, to his surprise and relief it was only Nagi standing there. His roommate must have spotted him on his way back from the school or something. Riku was about to tell him off for sneaking up on him, but that was when Kujou started turning around. 

Riku didn’t want to risk Kujou Takamasa recognizing him, not that he even knew if he remembered what he looked like, but he wanted to be on the safe side. And so, Riku grabbed Nagi’s arm and ducked behind one of the bushes. “Hide!” He exclaimed. “Oh?” Nagi exclaimed in surprise but he didn’t object. “This is exciting! What are we doing?” He asked in a whisper, smiling brightly all the while. 

“Kujou Takamasa is visiting Anubis House apparently, I don’t want him to recognize me.” Riku answered without thinking about what he was saying. “Kujou Takamasa? As in Kujou-shi’s father? I wonder if he’s here to bring him back! Oh, but why would he recognize you?” Nagi asked curiously. 

Riku’s eyes widened as he realized what he had said and who was with him. “I… Uhm…” He started, not really sure how to explain. Nagi tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyes in confusion as he saw Riku’s guilty expression. “Riku? What’s wrong?” He asked. Riku was about to answer him when he saw some movement in the corner of his eye and turned back to where Kujou was standing, only to see that Tsukumo had now joined him. 

“Sorry, I’ll explain it all later, I promise.” Riku said to Nagi before he focused on trying to hear what the two older men were talking about. Nagi nodded and followed suit, now also curious as to what the two would talk about. 

“Kujou-san, what is your business here?” Tsukumo asked, and even from their distance, Riku and Nagi could tell that he did not look happy. “Tsukumo. I simply wish to talk for a minute. Not here though, in case one of your students comes up and start asking questions about my boy.” Kujou said. Riku frowned, he had to be talking about Tenn. 

The two men started walking away into the forest and the moment they disappeared from sight Riku stood up and started following them, now even more curious than before as to what was going on. “Oh?” Nagi exclaimed before he followed after Riku. “Are we spying on them now?” He asked. 

“You don’t have to come with me.” Riku said as he cast a glance Nagi’s way. The blonde only smiled and started jogging so that he was now all caught up with Riku. “I’m curious though! You can’t make me leave now.” He said with a wink. Riku supposed it was fine, besides, he couldn’t force Nagi to leave, and so he simply nodded. 

They found Kujou and Tsukumo in a clearing in the woods behind the house and thus hid behind some trees a few meters away, being extra careful not to make any noise. “That’s ridiculous! You’re just throwing out accusations on a whim!” Tsukumo yelled and Riku really wanted to know what Kujou had accused him of. 

“Well, I sure hope that’s all this is! You know very well that we don’t have all of the time in the world, and if you’re lying about this, then everything that we have worked so hard for will have been for nothing.” Kujou said. Tsukumo sighed. “Don’t you think I know that? You’ve been putting pressure on all of us for years now.” He said, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. 

Tsukumo smirked. “If you dislike it so much, why don’t you just do it by yourself? I’m more than capable of getting everything I need without your help, and you know that.” He said with a knowing look. “Don’t even start me on that. You have the boy, and he is the key to everything!” Tsukumo exclaimed, making Riku frown. _‘Are they talking about Tenn-nii?’_ He thought. 

“Of course.” Kujou said. “And it’s difficult enough to keep him in check without telling him all about what we’re doing, so I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t add any problems to my plate.” He continued. “I got it already.” Tsukumo yelled in return, looking fed up. “Good.” Kujou said with a smug smile on his face. “Because if even one component is missing, we won’t ever be able to truly tip the scales of life.” He finished. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “The scales of life… That’s what Sara has been saying…” He whispered. Riku had so many questions right about now. Were Tsukumo and Kujou both after the treasure after all? Was it really them, or at least one of them that Sara had warned him about? Why did they say they were running out of time? What did ‘tipping the scales of life’ really mean? And was his brother somehow involved in all of this, and that’s why Kujou had him removed? 

As these thoughts were swirling around in Riku’s mind, Tsukumo and Kujou seemingly finished their conversation. Tsukumo angrily made his way back to the house but Kujou stayed behind for a minute, sighing and rubbing the back of his head. When he started walking back towards his car, Riku was startled to see him coming straight for them. Nagi had also noticed as he took ahold of Riku’s wrist and pulled him behind a nearby bush that would hopefully hide them properly from Kujou as he came their way. 

However, Riku had seen Kujou turn his head to them just as they were doing this. He just prayed that they had by some miracle avoided being seen. When the older man simply walked past them and to his car, Riku let out a sigh of relief. 

It was only once they had seen Kujou’s car leaving the area that both Nagi and Riku slumped back against each other in relief that they hadn’t been seen. “What was that all about?” Nagi asked. Riku frowned, not exactly sure what to say. “Why are you asking me that?” He settled on, knowing it was probably not going to get him anywhere. 

“Because,” Nagi started and gave Riku a suspicious look. “You seem like you know something I don’t.” He said, eyes not leaving Riku’s own for even a second. Riku tried to avert his gaze, but he knew that Nagi had already seen through him. 

Now, Riku hadn’t told Iori and Tamaki this yet, but he had actually been thinking about letting Nagi in on their secret. It would make a lot of things so much easier, first of all, Riku wouldn’t have to sneak out of and be as careful in his own room anymore, secondly, Nagi was probably the resident at Anubis House that Riku trusted the most, not counting Iori and Tamaki of course. Then there was also the fact that he could finally clear up the misunderstanding Nagi had about his relationship with Iori. 

Still, even if Riku had considered it, he had wanted to actually talk it over with the other two first and see what they thought about the idea. He didn’t want to do it if they thought it was stupid. But now that he was presented with an opportunity to do it, he was really tempted. It would be much simpler than to try and come up with an excuse, besides, Riku had a feeling that Nagi really wanted answers, and he knew firsthand how stubborn the blond boy could be when he wanted to. 

And so, Riku sighed and nodded. “Fine, what do you want know?” He asked, not sure where to start himself. Nagi smiled triumphantly. “Why would Kujou Takamasa recognize you? Did you have something with Kujou-shi leaving after all? Who is this Sara you kept mentioning? And what were Kujou and Tsukumo discussing?” He asked. 

Riku started explaining everything as well as he could, hoping that Nagi would keep their secret and also that Iori and Tamaki wouldn’t be too angry with him for telling the older boy. Nagi seemed to understand surprisingly easy though he had been shocked to say the least, which Riku totally understood. Nagi promised to not say a word, and also said that he wanted to help them. And so, a fourth person joined the search for the treasure hidden in the House of Anubis. 

Riku was stood with Nagi outside of Iori and Tamaki’s shared bedroom. He was fidgeting and it was obvious to Nagi that the redhead was nervous. “Riku, what’s wrong?” He asked in concern. Riku gulped. “I don’t know what Iori and Tamaki will think about me telling you about everything… I don’t want them to be angry with me…” He said sadly. 

Nagi smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Riku’s shoulder. As much as the older guy could be a goofy oddball, Nagi was really kind and good at reading others, knowing exactly what they needed in order to cheer up. “I’m sure they won’t be angry, and if they do get angry, please let me apologize for you. It’s okay.” He said the last part in english while winking at Riku, making him giggle and nod in response. 

Riku took one last deep breath and then knocked on the door to his friends’ room. Tamaki opened and looked excited upon seeing Riku. “Rikkun, finally!” He exclaimed, excited to get started on their puzzle-solving activities. However, his face sank once he saw Nagi behind Riku. “And Nagicchi too? What’s up?” He asked. 

Riku could see Iori peek out as Tamaki mentioned Nagi. “Let’s talk inside, yeah?” Nagi suggested before he pushed Riku into the room and closed the door behind him. “Nanase-san? Rokuya-san? What’s up?” Iori asked from the desk where he was sat with some notebooks that Riku knew had details about their search in them. 

Riku took a deep breath. “Uhm… As I was walking back from the retirement home, something sort of happened, and as a result…” Riku started and glanced at Nagi who smiled brightly. “I know about the treasure!” Nagi then exclaimed. 

Tamaki’s eyes widened and Iori quickly pushed his chair back and stood up, his face in disbelief. “You told Rokuya-san about everything?” He asked, the question clearly directed at Riku. “Yes, but!” Riku started, looking quite troubled that they might not take it so well. Nagi stepped in then and took over. “Please don’t be angry with Riku, it was not his fault. And I swear I will keep your secret. And help while I’m at it.” He said, adding a wink at the end, simply because he was Nagi and it was what he did. 

“I’m really sorry I didn’t talk to you guys first, but something happened outside, and I just happened to be with Nagi! And then he was really confused so I explained as much as I could… I wanted to talk it over with you two first, but it was all so sudden.” Riku explained. 

Iori sighed, but he didn’t look angry. “If you couldn’t help it, then there’s nothing we can do about it. So don’t be too upset, Nanase-san. Besides, there are worse people who could have found out than Rokuya-san, right?” He said, wanting to try and comfort Riku. The redhead looked up at Iori shyly. “So, you’re not angry then?” He asked. 

Iori smiled gently and shook his head. “Not at all. I was shocked, but not angry. And I’m sure Yotsuba-san feels the same.” Iori said with a pointed glare directed at Tamaki. Tamaki only grinned. “Of course! It’ll be super fun to have Nagicchi join!” He said. “Yay~ Thank you, Tamaki!” Nagi exclaimed. 

“See?” Iori said, turning back to Riku. Riku smiled appreciatively up at him. “Okay, I’m glad you’re not mad.” He said. Iori smiled and nodded, still looking at Riku. “So, there’s just one thing I’m wondering right now…” Nagi said, making Riku and Iori both turn to him. “Yeah? What’s up?” Riku asked. 

Nagi looked like he was deep in thought as he asked his next question. “Are you two actually dating in secret, or was that just a cover story?” He asked. Riku and Iori both flushed bright red at that. “We never said anything about dating! You made that up all on your own!” Iori exclaimed in embarrassment. “That’s right! It was just you misunderstanding the situation!” Riku followed. 

Nagi looked disappointed at that. “I see… That’s too bad, you would make such a cute couple as well.” He said with a shrug. “You think so too, Nagicchi? They would totally be a good pair, right?” Tamaki asked and Nagi nodded enthusiastically, making Iori and Riku even more flustered. 

Iori cleared his throat, trying to disperse the awkward tension in the room. “Changing the subject, what exactly happened this afternoon that made you tell Rokuya-san?” Iori asked Riku, who was thankful for the distraction. 

Riku thus explained to Tamaki and Iori what had happened that afternoon. He told them about seeing Kujou again and about his meeting with Tsukumo. He told them that the two were seemingly working together, even though Tsukumo seemed rather reluctant to be doing so. He told them about Tenn’s possible involvement in it all and finally about Kujou mentioning ‘tipping the scales of life’ just like Sara had. 

“Wow, that’s… a lot.” Iori said and Riku nodded. “Right? I still don’t really understand what they’re after, but I’m concerned. I’m also wondering if Tenn-nii really is involved somehow…” He said. “But Rikkun, didn’t you say that Kujou-san seemed like he wanted to keep the truth from Tenten? Wouldn’t that mean he doesn’t know about this?” Tamaki suggested. 

“I guess so…” Riku said. “Something that I just thought about.” Nagi said, making the others turn to him. “Kujou-shi said in his email a while back that his father had gotten into trouble and that’s why he had to leave. Looking at Kujou-san now, I’m thinking that was probably a lie. That being said, there is probably more to Kujou-shi leaving than we thought. But whether or not it’s connected to this case, I’m not sure about.” Nagi continued. 

Iori nodded. “I agree, that seems to be the case.” He said. “What if he’s hurting him?” Riku asked worriedly. “I doubt that’s the case, but it won’t do you any good to worry about it now. What happened to Kujou Tenn is mysterious, but we have to stay focused on finding this treasure. If your brother’s disappearance turns out to be connected, we’ll deal with that later.” Iori said. 

Riku nodded, but everyone could see that he was still troubled. Iori reached out and grabbed Riku’s hand. “Do you want some good news instead?” He asked. Riku looked up at Iori curiously but nodded. Tamaki looked really excited all the while. “Tell them, Iorin!” He exclaimed. 

Iori smirked. “I think I figured out part of the riddle.” He said. Riku’s eyes widened and he smiled in wonder. “Really? What do you think it means?” He asked as he leaned closer in excitement, making Iori self-conscious about how close Riku had suddenly gotten. “Well, I haven’t fully solved it, only a small part of it.” He admitted. 

“Well, go on! It’s more than we had before!” Riku urged him on. Iori nodded and told them. “I think ‘beleathered and clasped’ refers to an old book of some kind. A book that probably belonged to one of the Watanabes and in which yesterday always follows tomorrow. I still don’t know what that part means, though…” He said. 

“I see, that makes sense!” Nagi exclaimed. “Good job, Iori!” He said in english, giving Iori a thumbs up. “It does make sense!” Riku agreed. Then Tamaki added something. “Me and Iorin were thinking that we could go back to the attic tonight and see if we find something! Then we can show Nagicchi what we’ve found so far as well!” He said. 

“That sounds good! Let’s wait for about an hour after Tsukumo makes his 10 PM announcement, and then meet in the hallway, yeah? Sibuna!” Riku said, ending it with their greeting. “Sibuna!” Tamaki and Iori followed suit, but Nagi only looked confused. Tamaki laughed and explained that part to him as well. Nagi was now fully in on everything that they were doing. 

Kujou Tenn sighed as he closed the book he had just finished. He was extremely bored. Ever since Takamasa had come to pick him up all of a sudden at the start of the second term, he had been confined to the house in which he and the older man lived. Though Takamasa was rarely home during the days, and he even stayed out a few nights, so most of the time it was only Tenn. 

Tenn wasn’t sure what was going on, but he’d been told that the only thing that mattered was for Tenn to stay were he was, that it was the only way he could be kept safe. Tenn didn’t know whether to believe it or not, everything was so weird, but he didn’t really have any reason to think Takamasa would be lying. The older man had never been bad to him, always making sure he had everything he needed and got a good education. 

Still, not being allowed to leave the house was one thing, but he wasn’t even allowed to use his phone or computer anymore. He had no access to the internet either. Apart from watching TV, it was like Takamasa had completely cut Tenn off from the world. With so much spare time, Tenn usually spent it studying the things he would undoubtedly miss in school, cleaning the house, practicing his music, watching TV or reading. It was fine at first, but only doing these same things day in and day out was getting quite boring. 

He missed his friends, though he would never let Gaku find out he was included in that, or he would never live it down. It was fine though, he was used to missing people after all. Tenn sighed, he thought of his brother. Riku had been the one thing that was difficult to leave behind. His parents were one thing, but Riku was the one he really missed. 

When he would think about Riku, Tenn just had to remind himself that this was for the best. Takamasa had told him that if he came with him, his parents would be able to spend all their time, money and effort on taking care of Riku and making sure he got better. That’s why Tenn agreed to go, in order to give his precious brother a proper chance at living a good life. Even if he couldn’t be there to witness it for himself. 

That was when Tenn heard the front door open. He was sat in the sofa and waited, and then Takamasa entered the living room. “Hello Tenn. I hope you’ve had a good day.” He said with a smile. Tenn shrugged. “It was okay, I guess. A bit slow.” He answered. Takamasa nodded. “I know, but it’s only a matter of time. You see, there’s something I need you to do for me, and until then I need you to stay here. It’s for your own safety.” He explained. 

Tenn frowned. “You’ve always said that. That I’m special, and that there’s something only I can do for you. That until that day comes, you will only do what’s best for me.” He said. “Of course! And the time is getting closer.” Takamasa said with a smile. “What about afterwards?” Tenn asked suspiciously. 

“What do you mean?” Takamasa asked, eyes narrowed at Tenn. “You said you would take care of me until that day arrived, but what about afterwards?” Tenn clarified. He’d been wondering about that for a while now. “Afterwards you’ll be free. You can do whatever you want. If you want to stay with me, fine. If you want to go back to school and your friends, fine. If you want to try and find your old so-called family, fine.” Takamasa said. 

“Although…” Takamasa started again a few seconds later, making Tenn glance his way. “You might be able to find both family and friends back at Yaotome Academy.” Takamasa finished with a smirk. Tenn narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” He asked. 

Takamasa chuckled. “I was there today, had to talk with Tsukumo about something. And I couldn’t help but notice a familiar face. I thought I must be seeing things, but I ended up also paying a little visit to the headmaster to make sure. Turns out that precious brother of yours took your place. Transferred in the day after you left, he’s even living in Anubis House.” The older man said with a smirk. 

Tenn’s eyes widened in shock. “Riku’s at Yaotome Academy? And Anubis House?” He asked in disbelief. Takamasa nodded. “Sure is. Too bad you have to stay here. Maybe you’re just not meant to be together.” He said with a smug smile. 

Tenn gritted his teeth as he watched Takamasa leave the living room and head into the kitchen. He couldn’t really grasp what he had just told him. Why had Riku transferred to Yaotome Academy? Had he known Tenn had been there? Did he maybe not resent him for leaving after all, and was now trying to find him? Was it because of Riku that Takamasa had removed Tenn from the school? No, that couldn’t have been the case. Takamasa only seemed to have found out about Riku today… 

Tenn didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt restless and worried. Something was happening at Yaotome Academy, that was why he had been removed. He knew Takamasa was involved, and that it most likely had some risk to it. That’s why Tenn had to stay away until the very last moment, in order to stay safe. But would Riku be okay? If something happened to him, all Tenn had done would be for nothing… 

Tenn was frustrated that there was so little he could do now. He just hoped that whatever was going down, that Riku stayed out of it. He also knew one thing, that he needed to make sure his brother was okay. Tenn looked at the calendar at the wall, Takamasa was going away for three days and two nights relatively soon. And that just happened to clash with the culture festival at Yaotome Academy. Tenn made up his mind then. He would sneak out that day and try to warn Riku that something was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! It was nice to write some Tenn again, I've missed him ^^ Also, can you solve the latest riddle? I don't think it's too difficult, but maybe that's just me... We'll soon, but not quite yet, be moving on to the culture festival arc, which was one of my favourite parts in the original series, so I'm really looking forward to that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one, which will be out on Saturday. Thank you for reading! And an even bigger thank you to those of you who leaves comments and kudos, they really make me happy! <3


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sibuna gang looks through a bunch of books as that's what they believe the riddle refers to, however, they end up finding something different instead...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back again with a new chapter. ^^ Go ahead and read, I hope you will enjoy it! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Saturday morning rolled around and Iori and Tamaki both entered the dining room unusually late. Or at least it was unusually late for Iori. Inside were both Riku and Nagi, the redhead looking just as much like a zombie as the two newcomers, but Nagi looked just as good as always. Iori was starting to think that his brother was right about Nagi’s looks being the cause of witchcraft.

Last night, they had managed to sneak up to the attic successfully. Nagi had been in awe at all the little details and hadn’t really started helping out until they had already been there for about an hour. They had found a lot of things, and quite a few books amongst it all, but none of the books seemed to meet the requirements and they still had no idea what ‘the place where yesterday always follows tomorrow’ meant. 

They had stayed up in the attic for almost four hours, looking through all the books they could find. But none of the books seemed to have any special connection to the Watanabes, other than the fact that they were old and found in the attic. In the end, they had to go back down without finding anything, and it was because they had been at it for so long that they all, except for Nagi, looked so tired. 

“Good morning.” Nagi and Riku greeted, the blond sounding happy and the redhead tired. “Mornin’.” Tamaki said sleepily as he sat down and rested his forehead against the surface of the table. Iori just nodded and took his seat next to Riku. “Wow, you guys look like you just rose from the dead. I mean, it’s not that unusual for Tamaki I guess… But Iori, what happened to you?” Mitsuki asked in concern. 

“Trouble sleeping.” Iori simply answered, too tired to feel like coming up with a detailed excuse for why he was so tired. “That’s no good Ichi. You need your sleep, or else you’re going to end up like me.” Yamato said nonchalantly. Mitsuki snorted. “Yeah, you’ll end up as an old man who has given up on life and lives on coffee rather than food and sleep.” He said, directing a smug look at Yamato, who simply shrugged. “I’m not going to deny the truth.” He said. 

Everyone laughed at that and Yamato seemed completely indifferent. They all went back to their breakfast after that, and the day then progressed as usual. And that afternoon when Iori was helping Tsumugi with the laundry, since he was on chores duty that day, he kept thinking about the riddle. “It has to be a book… I can’t think of anything else it could be.” He said to himself. 

“We already looked through the entire attic.” Iori continued as he started folding clothes and sorting them into piles after what belonged to who. “Is there anywhere else they might keep old books?” He thought out loud, trying to think of all the different storages in the house. Could Tsukumo be keeping books in his office? Could there be any in the cellar? No, not in the cellar. There had been multiple bookshelves, but they were all filled with samples, chemicals, science equipment and stuffed animals. 

Iori sighed, they weren’t getting anywhere at this rate. “Iori-san? Is something the matter?” Iori turned around as he heard Tsumugi’s voice coming from the opening in the door. He smiled at the housemother and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about school.” He lied. Tsumugi smiled. “I’m glad then.” She said. 

That was when Iori thought of something. He already knew that they absolutely could not ask Tsukumo where in the house old books might be kept, lest they wanted to alert him about what they were doing. However, there was someone else who might know where they kept a possible collection of old books. 

Iori turned back to Tsumugi with hopeful eyes. “Actually, can I ask you something?” Iori asked. Tsumugi smiled and nodded. “Do you know if we still have some old books that belonged to the previous owners of the house lying around?” He asked. Tsumugi put a finger to her chin and thought for a while. “We do, but what do you need them for?” She asked. 

“It’s for a school project.” Iori said, hoping she would let it go at that. Tsumugi nodded. “I see! Well, there ought to be quite a few books in the attic, but they’re probably just laying around everywhere, so that might be a bit difficult. Besides, Tsukumo wouldn’t want us to bring anything down from there.” She started. 

Iori frowned. “Is there anywhere else we have some of the Watanabes’ books?” He asked. “Well,” Tsumugi started. “We do have a cupboard filled with some of Watanabe Ritsu’s old journals, if that would help?” She said. Iori’s eyes widened and he broke out into a huge smile. “That would be a huge help! Can I see them?” He asked. Tsumugi nodded. “They’re in the storage under the staircase, I can give you my key and you can check it out whenever you have time?” She suggested. 

Iori nodded enthusiastically. “That would be amazing! Thank you so much!” He exclaimed. Tsumugi giggled. “I’m glad to help! Wait here, I’ll go get the key!” She said before turning her back to Iori and leaving. Iori was so excited, maybe this was what they were looking for! He couldn’t wait to tell the others. 

Once Iori was done helping Tsumugi, he had gone to find the others. Tamaki had been with Sougo in the living room, the older trying to make sure Tamaki finished his homework. “But Sou-chan, it’s not due for another three days! Can’t I do it later?” Tamaki complained. Sougo sighed and was about to say something when Iori interrupted. 

“Actually, Osaka-san, is it okay if I borrow Yotsuba-san for now? I can help him finish it later as well, you already do so much, so just take some time to relax.” He said. Sougo smiled politely up at Iori. “Are you sure? That would actually be quite nice…” Sougo admitted after a while. Tamaki nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right! Iorin will help me!” He said. 

Sougo nodded. “Fine but come find me if you need help with something.” He said before standing up and leaving. Tamaki turned to Iori with a grin. “Thanks, Iorin! You saved me!” He said. Iori frowned. “You should be more grateful to Osaka-san, he’s the biggest reason you haven’t failed anything yet! And we’ll finish that homework tonight.” He said. 

“Eh?” Tamaki made a noise in complaint and Iori just rolled his eyes. “I’d go get Osaka-san back if I didn’t need you right now. I think I know where we can look for the next clue! We have to go tell Nanase-san and Rokuya-san!” Iori explained. Tamaki, who had initially been pouting, immediately perked up and nodded enthusiastically. “Really? Heck yeah!” He exclaimed and then they left to find the remaining two members of their club. 

Iori and Tamaki found Riku and Nagi in their bedroom, presumably talking about the search already when they got there. “Iori, Tamaki! Are you finished with your chores and homework now?” Riku asked as they entered. “Yes and no, but let’s put that aside for now.” Iori answered, pointing to himself when saying ‘yes’ and Tamaki when saying ‘no’. 

Riku and Nagi nodded. “And it just so happens that I know where to look next.” Iori continued, making both Riku and Nagi’s eyes widen in awe. “Really?” Nagi asked in english and Iori nodded. “Yes, I asked Tsumugi and-” He started but was interrupted by Riku. “You asked Tsumugi about the treasure?” He asked in disbelief. 

Iori sighed and shook his head. “Of course not! Just let me finish!” He exclaimed and Riku calmed down. “I asked her about if she knew where we kept old books laying around, saying I had to use them for a school project. And it turns out we have an entire cupboard filled with Watanabe Ritsu’s old journals!” He explained. 

Riku stood up, eyes wide and in awe. “Seriously?” He asked. Iori nodded and pulled out the key. “Yes, in the storage under the stairs. I borrowed the key from Tsumugi, and she allowed us to go in there and take a look.” He said. Riku smiled brightly and threw his arms around Iori’s neck, pulling the stunned boy in for a hug. “Iori, you’re amazing! I would have never though of asking her!” Riku exclaimed. 

“N-N-Nanase-san?” Iori stuttered out, his face bright red and heartbeat speeding up in his chest. Nagi and Tamaki gave him a smirk from where they stood off to the side. Riku then let go, only to grab ahold of Iori’s wrist and pull him out of the room. “Come on! Let’s go check it out right now!” He said excitedly. 

Iori was still blushing, and he didn’t trust his voice not to break or stutter if he answered him now, so he just forced he smile onto his face through the embarrassment and nodded. Tamaki followed after them, and so did Nagi, chuckling knowingly to himself all the while. 

When they got there, Iori had managed to calm down some, but his cheeks were still slightly pink, and he refused to look Riku in the eyes. Instead, he simply grabbed the key and unlocked the storage. They all went inside, or tried to at least, the room was way too cramped for them all to fit. Inside were a few cardboard boxes, and all of them were filled with books. “Well, let’s get started then.” Iori said. 

They all sat down on the floor and started looking through the multiple books, but a few hours passed, and they didn’t find anything where yesterday came after tomorrow. Tamaki sighed, he had been really excited at first, but just looking through some old notes weren’t exactly thrilling. Nagi was stretching his back, sitting hunched over a book on the floor for hours on end wasn’t the most comfortable. Iori was reading intently, seemingly having found something of interest, though not what they were looking for. 

Riku sighed and stretched the muscles in his neck, he usually enjoyed reading most things, but he was getting really tired. He closed the notebook he was holding, coming to the conclusion that that one was also a bust. Then he picked up the next one, but as he did, something fell out from between the pages. Riku frowned and picked up what looked like a photograph. What he saw next made him gasp in shock. 

Everyone turned to Riku with alarmed expressions. “Nanase-san, what’s wrong?” Iori asked in concern. “Did you find anything?” Tamaki asked hopefully. “What is it?” Nagi followed by asking. Riku couldn’t stop staring at the photo in front of him, and whatever he had seen it had to be disturbing, judging from his expression. “Nanase-san?” Iori tried again. 

“Do you remember when we thought we heard Tsukumo’s voice on the cylinders? And how we came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be like that because of how old they were?” Riku asked. Iori and Tamaki nodded, Nagi didn’t, but he hadn’t been there even if he’d been told about it and shown the recording. 

Riku then held out the photo so that the others could take it and look at it themselves. “It’s from 1925.” Riku said. Iori took the photo and held it so that Nagi and Tamaki could also see what had shocked Riku so much. Their eyes all widened as they stared back at a black and white photo of Tsukumo Ryou in front of Anubis House, looking just as old as he did now. 

“No way…” Tamaki said in disbelief. “You’re right, it says 1925 at the bottom… But how is that possible?” Nagi asked. “He looks exactly the same.” Iori stated. Riku nodded. “I’m starting to think that it really was Tsukumo we heard on that recording.” He said. 

Iori shook his head. “I still don’t understand though! Something like this shouldn’t be possible!” He said. Riku nodded. “It’s really freaky… But we need to figure out what it means, and I think I know a good place to start.” He said. The other looked up at Riku as he took the picture and stood up. “I’m going to show this picture to Sara and see if she can give us any answers.” He said. The others nodded, and so it was decided. 

Because it had gotten rather late as the Sibuna gang were looking through the cupboard with old notebooks, visiting hours at the retirement home were over, and so, Riku had to wait for the next day. Once Sunday rolled around and he had finished getting ready and eating breakfast, Riku grabbed the photograph, told everyone he was leaving and then started making his way towards the retirement home. 

He got there and greeted Tomiko before going up to Sara’s door and knocking on it before entering. Sara looked at him hopefully, and Riku could see in her eyes that he’d come on a good day, which made him very relieved as he might actually get something out of her then. “Hello Sara.” Riku said as he sat down at her bedside. 

“Hello, how are you doing? Have you found it yet?” Sara asked as she grabbed ahold of Riku’s hand. Riku shook his head and smiled apologetically. “No, not yet. But I think we’re getting closer.” He said. Sara looked a bit disappointed at first, but then smiled and nodded. “That’s fine, you still have time.” She said. 

Riku frowned. “Time for what Sara? And how long do we have?” He asked. She didn’t say anything, only shook her head as if she either didn’t know or wouldn’t tell him. Riku sighed and then looked up at her. “Can I ask you something?” He asked. Sara nodded. “Anything you want, child.” She said, stroking his cheek gently. 

Riku smiled and leaned into her touch. Even though she could be a bit erratic at times, Riku had grown very fond of the old woman, and her company was almost always comforting. Almost always, since she would sometimes freak out and startle Riku. 

Riku then pulled out the photograph and held it out to the old woman, who took it from him. “What can you tell me about the man in this photo?” Riku asked her. Sara’s eyes widened and she threw the picture to the ground in panic. “No, no, no… Not him…” She said, sounding scared. 

Riku tried to keep her calm, he also hoped she would keep it down so that none of the workers would enter, alarmed by the loud noise. “Who is he, Sara? Why are you scared of him?” Riku asked, despite already knowing who it was. Sara turned to him, her eyes wild and filled with fear. “He intends to do it, child! He intends to tip the scales of life!” She exclaimed. Riku frowned as it was just what she always said. 

“No, no…” Sara continued. “He’s the one… He killed them!” She then exclaimed, making Riku’s eyes widen and his face turn pale in shock. “He killed them? Do you mean your parents?” He asked and Sara nodded. Riku gulped, so their caretaker had somehow managed to stay the same age for over ninety years, and he was responsible for the deaths of Sara’s parents. 

Sara seemed to collect herself, but she still kept going. “He did it… And now he wants to stay forever. But he must not succeed. You must stop him!” She exclaimed and looked Riku dead in the eyes. Riku gulped again and nodded. Sara calmed down as she turned her face back to the quilt that covered her legs. “He wants to stay forever. You must stop him. He wants to stay forever. You must stop him.” She whispered over and over again, but at least she wasn’t as hysterical anymore. 

Riku sighed. While it was nice to have some confirmation, he didn’t feel good at all about this piece of information. In the end, Sara didn’t have anything else to say, and Riku said his goodbye and started making his way back to the house. 

When Riku returned, Iori, Tamaki and Nagi were all waiting for him in the entranceway. They were sat on the floor with books around them, they had most likely tried to look through some more notebooks as they waited for him to return. The moment they saw Riku enter, however, they packed up all of the stuff and then went up to him. “Well? How did it go?” Tamaki asked impatiently. 

“I’ll tell you once we get somewhere more private.” Riku said, motioning for them to get up the stairs and into the privacy of Riku and Nagi’s bedroom. The other three nodded and followed Riku up the stairs. Everyone were quiet until they reached the room and the door closed behind them. That was also when Riku sighed and collapsed onto his bed. 

Iori sat down beside him with a worried look on his face. “Nanase-san, what happened?” He asked. “Well, I don’t know how useful my visit was, but one thing is for sure.” He started before holding out the photo. “He was definitely responsible for Watanabe Ritsu and Watanabe Akiko’s deaths.” Riku said seriously. 

Tamaki gulped. “Oh my god, are we really living with a killer?” He asked in fear. Nagi shook his head. “We still don’t know the circumstances around what happened. Maybe he had a good reason to want them gone.” He suggested. Tamaki scoffed. “Yeah, he wanted the treasure! And we’re looking for it! What if he comes after us next?” He asked. 

Iori frowned. “Let’s not be hasty. Yotsuba-san, you can’t freak out every time Tsukumo is around only because of this. Nanase-san, did Sara ever mention his name? Did she say that a man named Tsukumo Ryou killed her parents?” Iori asked. 

Riku frowned and then shook his head. “No, she never mentioned a name… But she really freaked out when she saw that picture, she was certain that he is the one!” He exclaimed. Iori nodded. “I see… Then it’s still not certain that Tsukumo really killed them. Not our Tsukumo at least.” Iori said. 

Riku raised an eyebrow in question. “What do you mean?” He asked. Iori took the picture and held it out. “What Sara said did indeed confirm that the man on the picture is the murderer, but she did not confirm that this is Tsukumo Ryou. It’s possible it’s just someone who looks very similar. Like a relative, maybe a father or grandfather.” Iori explained. 

“Would they really look that alike?” Nagi asked. Iori shrugged. “It happens. Besides, it’s not like we can see his face in detail in this photo, if there’s something slightly different, we wouldn’t be able to tell. All I’m saying is, let’s not accuse our caretaker of murder if we don’t actually have any proof.” He said. 

“Proof?” Riku asked. Iori nodded. “If he’s responsible, then that also means that he was alive and around the same age in the 1920’s. If we can find proof that that’s possible, then I’d say we can start throwing accusations his way.” He explained. 

Tamaki pouted. “Isn’t that picture enough proof?” He asked. Iori sighed and shook his head. “I just explained why it wasn’t sufficient proof. Besides, I’ve been doing some thinking, and I think I have a theory.” He said. Riku, Nagi and Tamaki all turned to him at that. “What is it?” Riku asked. 

“Well, first of all, I think that when Sara says he wants to ‘tip the scales of life’, or that he wants to ‘stay forever’, I think she means he’s after immortality, which sounds totally crazy, I know. But that’s literally what it could mean. However, the way she phrases it is as if he hasn’t succeeded yet, which also makes me think it’s not actually Tsukumo in the photo.” Iori started. 

“I see, I hadn’t noticed that, but now that you say it, it is a bit weird. If that really was Tsukumo in the photo, that would most likely mean that he has already managed to become immortal, but the way Sara says it, it really does sound as if he’s still trying to get there.” Riku agreed. 

Iori nodded and kept talking. “Now, think back to that night we went into the cellar. We saw Tsukumo making a toast to life, after which he drank something from one of his many test tubes. What if he’s trying to make and elixir of life, and that’s what we saw him doing?” Iori suggested. 

Riku hummed in thought. “So, you think that was him testing a supposed ‘elixir’?” He asked. Iori nodded. “I know it may sound farfetched, but considering everything that’s been uncovered recently, I think it sounds fairly sane. And I’m also willing to bet that the reason he’s not succeeded yet is because he is missing something. And that something lies with the treasure that we’re trying to find.” He said. 

“That would explain why Sara wants us to find and protect it! And also why she’s telling us to watch out for him!” Riku exclaimed. Iori nodded again. “That’s also why I want us to go back into the cellar. If we can find the elixir, or the unfinished elixir at least, we might be able to confirm this theory!” He said. 

“That sounds good to me.” Riku said. Nagi nodded. “I agree!” He said. Tamaki pouted. “Do we have to go back into the cellar? It was really creepy down there!” He complained. Riku and Nagi chuckled while Iori sighed. “It may not be necessary for all of us to go down. In fact, it might be better if only two of us go.” He said. 

“Oh? Why is that?” Nagi asked. “Because,” Iori started. “In order to find the possible elixir, we need time. As much as we can get. So the remaining two can stay up here and distract Tsukumo if he decides to go down there, giving the ones in the cellar more time to find it.” Iori explained. 

Tamaki lit up at that suggestion. “That sounds good to me! I call dibs on staying and distracting Tsukumo!” He exclaimed. Iori sighed. “It doesn’t work like that, do you think anyone really wants to go back into the cellar?” Iori asked. “Uhm…” Tamaki said, but when both Nagi, Riku and Iori looked at him as if they too would rather not go down there he sighed. “Okay, what do you suggest then?” He asked. 

“We could make a draw to decide who does what, that way it will be completely random and fair?” Riku suggested. “That sounds marvelous!” Nagi said, clapping his hands together and smiling. Iori nodded. “That might be for the best.” He said. “Fine.” Tamaki said while pouting. “Wait here, I’ll fix it!” Nagi said before he stood up, walked over to his desk and started fiddling with his things. 

When Nagi returned, he had four different pencils in hand. “The ones who draw the two longest pencils will stay and distract Tsukumo, while the ones who draw the two shortest will go to the cellar tonight, okay?” He suggested. The other three nodded. 

Riku was the first to pull out a pencil. It looked rather long, which made Riku relax, even though he didn’t know how long the others were. Next up was Tamaki, who groaned as he pulled out a much shorter pencil than Riku’s. Iori was next, his pencil was even longer than Riku’s, meaning Tamaki definitely had to go to the cellar. Now they just waited for Nagi to reveal his pencil, thus showing if he or Riku would be accompanying Tamaki. 

Nagi unclenched his hand, thus revealing a pen that was longer than Tamaki’s, but shorter than Riku’s. “Okay, that decides it. Yotsuba-san and Rokuya-san will go down into the cellar while Nanase-san and I will stay up here.” Iori said. The others nodded, although Tamaki’s nod was clearly reluctant. 

“Is it okay if I stay in the kitchen and keep watch there? Since I’m the one with the locket that opens the hatch in the oven.” Riku suggested. Iori nodded. “Yes, you can let Tamaki and Nagi know what’s going on from there, they’ll be able to hear you from the kitchen as well, as long as the hatch is open.” Iori said. And with that, their plan was decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens... Is Tsukumo really brewing an elixir of life? And will they be able to find it down in the cellar? Well, I'll be back on Wednesday with the next update, so stay tuned for that! Thank you for reading, and thank you even more for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki and Nagi go into the cellar to look for the elixir. Meanwhile the school is preparing for the upcoming culture festival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back with a new chapter! Please enjoy it! Also, happy belated birthday to Mitsuki! <3<3 If you have any questions or want to talk, you can fin dme on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“Iori, is the coast clear? Can I open the hatch now?” Riku asked from where he was crouching on the kitchen floor near the oven. Iori nodded. “Yeah, Tsukumo’s still in his office and we’re the only other ones up and about.” He said. “Got it.” Riku said before turning back to the oven and opening it with his locket.

Riku turned to Nagi and Tamaki. “If something happens up here, I’ll open the hatch and let you know, so leave the door between the passage and the cellar open, or else you might not hear me. When you want out, knock three times on the door to the oven if it’s not open already.” Riku said, and the two nodded in response. 

“Nanase-san will stay here in the kitchen and quickly open the hatch if it’s needed. I’ll be in the entranceway, keeping an eye on Tsukumo. If he comes down, I’ll try to distract him while Nanase-san will let you know to hurry and get out.” Iori then added. “Got it.” Nagi said with a wink. 

“And remember.” Iori started. “We’re only looking for the elixir, so try not to mess around with too many things down there. We don’t want Tsukumo to know we can get into the cellar.” He reminded them. Tamaki rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, we’ve been sneaking around so much lately, I’m practically a pro by now.” He said before he started crawling into the oven, closely followed by Nagi. 

“Good luck down there!” Riku called out. The redhead then turned to Iori with a slightly worried expression once the hatch had closed. “Do you think they’ll be okay?” He asked. Iori shrugged. “Honestly? It could go either way… They both now how serious this is, but when Rokuya-san and Yotsuba-san are together, they just tend to become a bit… childish almost? I’m not sure how to describe it.” He said. 

Riku nodded. He trusted Tamaki and Nagi, he really did, and he was certain that they could do a perfect job. But he also knew there was a lot that could go wrong with their plan, no matter who had gotten which role. He just hoped it would be alright. He couldn’t allow this to fail, for Sara’s sake as much as their own. 

Despite his reluctance, Tamaki didn’t hesitate to enter the cellar at all. Nagi followed close behind. “Oh my…” He exclaimed as he saw what it looked like. Tamaki shuddered. “This place is so much creepier than the attic, right, Nagicchi?” He asked. Nagi nodded. “Yes, you are actually right about that.” He agreed. 

“Okay.” Tamaki exclaimed and turned to Nagi with a determined expression. “Let’s just hurry up and find this thing so that we can get out as soon as possible!” He said. Nagi nodded. “Okay!” Nagi said as he started looking through the shelves. 

Tamaki in turn started by searching the table with all the test tubes. Looking around, the cellar looked just like it did before, except for the now missing tethering ring. “You know, I think I just realized something.” Nagi said from the other end of the room. “Yeah? What is it?” Tamaki asked as he kept searching through the bottles and test tubes on the table. 

“Tsukumo has an interest in taxidermy, right?” Nagi asked. Tamaki nodded and hummed in confirmation. “I never really thought about it before, but…” Nagi started. “Where do you suppose he gets all of his dead animals from?” He asked. 

Tamaki frowned. “Do you think he hunts?” He suggested. “I actually have no idea.” Admitted Nagi with a shrug. “But it just hit me, if you’re making an elixir of life, wouldn’t you normally test it on someone or something else before drinking it yourself? You know, to make sure it’s not dangerous.” He continued. 

Tamaki stopped what he was doing and turned to Nagi with a slightly horrified expression. “Are you suggesting all of his stuffed animals are actually the remains of his experiments?” He asked, his voice filled with a mixture of fear and disgust. Nagi nodded, his own expression filled with disgust as well. “It’s just a possibility.” He said. 

Tamaki gulped as he found himself staring straight into the eyes of a stuffed, black cat sat on a shelf in front of him. “S-stop saying things like that! You’re freaking me out!” Tamaki exclaimed. Nagi rubbed the back of his head and gave Tamaki a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I forgot you’re not good with scary things.” 

Tamaki pouted, but then something else caught his eye. A small glass bottle with a clear orange liquid inside. Tamaki picked it up and inspected it, there was no label and it was about half-full. “Nagicchi, I think this is it.” He said. 

Nagi jogged over to Tamaki and checked the bottle. “Are you sure? It could be anything.” He said. Tamaki nodded. “I’m pretty sure this is the bottle I saw Tsukumo drink from when me, Iorin and Rikkun were down here last time! It has the same shape and the liquid definitely looked orange-y!” Tamaki explained. 

That was when they heard a loud banging sound from above followed by Riku’s voice. “Guys, Tsukumo’s coming! Get out as soon as you can!” He exclaimed. Nagi turned back to Tamaki. “Let’s assume this is it and go then!” He said. Tamaki nodded and put the bottle into the pocket of his hoodie. 

Nagi and Tamaki hurriedly left the cellar, making sure to check that everything looked at least vaguely familiar to how it did when they had entered. They closed the hidden door, climbed up the ladder and crawled through the path, seeing Riku waiting for them on the other end. 

Once they were out, Riku looked at them expectantly. “Well? Did you get it?” He asked. Tamaki smiled and pulled out the bottle. “I think so! It has no label, but I’m pretty sure this is the bottle I saw Tsukumo drink from last time we were there!” He said proudly. Riku nodded and smiled. “Good job you guys!” He said. 

“How did things go for you and Iori?” Nagi asked. “Well,” Riku said, smiling a bit sheepishly. “For me, everything went fine. I just hope Iori didn’t get in trouble with Tsukumo as he was distracting him.” Riku said, making Tamaki and Nagi chuckle. “This could be the first time Iorin gets punished without me.” Tamaki joked, making both Nagi and Riku laugh, even though they felt a bit bad about it. 

The next morning, Riku, Iori and Tamaki were headed to school together. Nagi had needed to leave a bit early, as he was on class duty that day. As they were walking, Riku eagerly turned to Iori and Tamaki. “What did you guys do with the possible elixir last night after we separated?” He asked. 

Tamaki puffed his chest out, looking quite proud. “Well, I transferred it into one of my water bottles! It’s King Pudding themed! You know, if Tsukumo searches the room and finds the glass bottle, he’ll obviously know we took it! But he has no reason to check my water bottle, right?” He said. 

“Wow, that was pretty smart!” Riku exclaimed, smiling at Tamaki as he did so. Iori nodded. “I know, it was a surprisingly good idea, coming from Yotsuba-san.” He said. Tamaki pouted and hit Iori’s arm lightly. “Hey, I have plenty of good ideas!” He said and Iori rolled his eyes as an answer. Riku smiled fondly at their antics. It was nice to see some things were just as usual with all the crazy things happening around them. 

“Either way,” Iori then started. “We need to figure out if the thing we have really is an elixir of life, or at least a version of it. The question is just how we do it…” He said. “Hmm…” Riku hummed in thought before coming up with something. “Couldn’t we have it analyzed? See what’s in it, you know?” He suggested. 

Iori frowned. “We could, but what would we say to whoever we sent it to? ‘Hi, we’re four teens who believe we’ve found an elixir of life, could you check it for us’?” He said. Riku sighed. “I don’t know, but what else are we supposed to do?” He asked. 

“Couldn’t we just do it ourselves? I get along pretty great with Ban-chan, I bet he’d let us borrow the chemistry lab after school one day.” Tamaki suggested. Ogami Banri was their chemistry and science teacher, he was easy to talk to and got along great with most of the students. He was also the only teacher that Tamaki genuinely liked. 

“Do you really think Ogami-sensei would be okay with letting us use the lab by ourselves?” Riku asked in concern. “If any teacher would, it’s him. I actually think Yotsuba-san’s idea is our best bet.” Iori said. “HA!” Tamaki exclaimed, startling both Riku and Iori. “What was that?” Iori asked. 

Tamaki smirked and pointed straight at Iori. “You see, Iorin, I have plenty of good ideas!” He said proudly. Riku tried to hold back his laughter at the completely lost expression on Iori’s face. In the end, Iori just sighed and decided not to retaliate, thus walking away from the scene. Riku and Tamaki hurried to follow him. 

Once they reached the school, they were surprised to find their arts and drama teacher standing at the gate, waving them over. “Shimaoka-sensei, what are you doing?” Tamaki asked confused. Their teacher, Shimaoka, was a middle-aged man with messy brown hair, a goatee, shades and an eccentric clothing style. He was the oddest out of all their teachers. 

Shimaoka just started grinning. “Special meeting in the lounge first thing in the morning, you have been excused from your first class for this!” He told them. When the three asked what it was about, he just told them they would have to wait and see, and so they all left for the student lounge. 

Once they got there, they were surprised to see the rest of the guys from Anubis House, as well as what appeared to be the ten students from one of the other boarding houses. Riku recognized some of them. Four of them were third years, but Riku only recognized three. Two of them were quite friendly with Mitsuki and Yamato, Yuki and Momo were their names, and Riku knew that the four of them were classmates. The other third year he recognized was a guy named Midou Torao, and he only knew of him because of Ryuu. Apparently, they had some sort of one-sided rivalry going on? Riku wasn’t sure of the details, but he had heard Gaku and Ryuu talking about Torao a few times. 

Five of them were in their second years, but Riku actually only knew two of them. Natsume Minami and Inumaru Touma. They were classmates with Nagi and Sougo and Riku had heard them mentioning them before. He had also had a run-in with Touma. Literally. Riku had rounded a corner and then ended up running into the older boy’s back, thus falling to the floor. Touma had helped him up and apologized, but that was as far as their interactions had gone. 

The last person there was actually one of their own classmates that tended to keep to himself. Isumi Haruka. The only thing Riku knew about him was that he was a bit of a loner, that he was quite athletic, that Tamaki worked with him on an assignment and was also one of the few people in class who went out of his way to talk to him, and also that Haruka apparently hadn’t liked Riku's brother when he was here. At all. Something that Tamaki had told him about after Riku had let Tamaki known about his relation to Tenn. 

So, all in all, there were only four people there Riku didn’t recognize, but he assumed they lived in the same house as the other six. He then took a seat with Iori and Tamaki as Shimaoka stepped in front of them and cleared his throat, clearly meaning to start talking. “So, you’re all probably wondering why I’ve gathered you here! Well, I’ll get straight to the point, it’s about the upcoming culture festival!” He said. 

Riku glanced over at Iori, who shrugged in response, signaling that he had no idea what was going on either. “You see,” Shimaoka kept talking. “It’s been decided that on top of every class and ever club, the different boarding houses should also prepare something for the festival, and it has been decided that your two houses will work together and create a school play!” He exclaimed happily. 

As the play was announced, a mixture of excited whispers and disappointed groans were heard throughout the room. “Now, now, I know everyone might not be happy with this, but it was decided through a lottery, so it was completely fair! And the expectations aren’t exactly high for this considering how little time we will have to prepare.” Shimaoka said. 

“Sensei, isn’t the drama club putting on a play? Do we really need two different plays?” The guy Riku recognized as Midou Torao asked. “Actually, the drama club will be working together with the music club and put on a musical this year! So, we actually didn’t have anyone doing a classic play until now.” Shimaoka answered. 

“With that being said,” The teacher kept going. “We do actually have two members of the drama club in this gang, who could help us out. Right, Yuki-kun? Momo-kun?” He asked. One of them, a boy with pink eyes, black hair with white tips and an energetic smile on his face raised his arm. “Of course! We’ll be looking forward to working with everyone!” He exclaimed. Riku recognized this guy as Momo. The other guy, Yuki, nodded. He was long, had long gray hair and intense grey eyes. He seemed a lot calmer than Momo. 

“Right, let’s get started then! We’ve got this entire hour just to start getting some ideas out there, so what do you guys want to do?” Shimaoka asked. Momo raised his hand and the drama teacher gave him permission to speak. “Does it have to be an original or can we reuse one of the drama club’s old scripts?” He asked. 

“Well,” Shimaoka started. “An original script would be preferable, but as we don’t have all the time in the world, it’s not a catastrophe if we don’t have time to write one, in which case we might switch over to an old script. However, I would like to give making an original script a go. It doesn’t have to be long or very complicated, anyone with any ideas?” He asked expectantly. 

The room was dead silent until Yamato raised his hand. “I’ve heard Yuki writes, can’t he make a script?” He suggested. Yuki shook his head. “I do write, but mainly music and poems, not entire scripts. And I don’t write when there’s only a short amount of time to do so.” He said flatly, refusing to do it. 

That was when Tamaki seemingly had an idea. He leaned in closer to Iori and Riku and started whispering to them. “What if we reveal Tsukumo’s possible crimes using the play? That way we can make it vague, but also send out a sort of warning that we know what he’s doing and that he’d better watch out.” He suggested. 

Riku and Iori both turned to him with worried expressions. “Tamaki, I don’t know if that’s the best idea.” Riku said. “Yeah, if we’re completely wrong about this, we could get in so much trouble.” Iori agreed. However, it seemed like Tamaki wasn’t listening as the blue haired boy then stood up, his arm raised and a gigantic smile on his face. “Yes, Tamaki-kun.” Shimaoka said and pointed at him, giving Tamaki permission to speak. 

“How about we tell a story about a little girl whose parents are archaeologists who travel to Egypt in search of treasures? But they get cursed and die in a mysterious accident, leaving the girl all alone in her house with the scary caretaker who was actually the one who plotted the murder of the girl’s parents while searching for the secrets of eternal life that they found while in Egypt!” He suggested. 

Riku looked at Tamaki in disbelief and Iori facepalmed. Even Nagi looked concerned as Tamaki was talking. Shimaoka looked partly amused, partly confused and a little bit impressed. “Wow, that sounds… a bit complicated but interesting nonetheless. It’s certainly original… If you work out the details, it could turn into an interesting play, I’m sure of it! Is everybody okay with this suggestion?” The teacher asked. 

The others nodded and seemed to agree to it. Riku winced, still not sure whether or not it was a good idea to go through with it. “Well then, I say we give it a go. Tamaki-kun, since it was your idea, will you write the script? It will need to be finished as soon as possible if we’re going to have time to practice as well.” Shimaoka said. 

Tamaki stiffened. “Oh no, I don’t do writing. At least not unless I absolutely have to.” He said before averting his gaze to none other than Riku himself. “But I know Rikkun loves reading and writing, I’ve actually read some smaller things he has written and it’s really good! I’m sure he can help me write it!” He said, throwing an arm around Riku’s shoulders. 

Riku tensed up and turned to Tamaki with a worried expression. “Tamaki, what are you doing?” He asked in desperation. “You know Sara’s story best out of all of us, and if you write it, you can decide for yourself how much you want to include or not, right? That way we can say what we want to say while keeping the important stuff a secret.” Tamaki whispered in return. 

Riku sighed, he still wasn’t convinced, but he supposed it was a good opportunity to confront Tsukumo about their findings without making too big a deal out of it. That way, they weren’t out right accusing him of murder, and could still take it back if it turned out to be wrong. Riku had made up his mind as he turned back to Shimaoka. “I agree with Tamaki, please let me try and write it!” He said. 

Later that week, Sougo had come up with the idea that they should all have a study night together. Some thought it sounded better than others, but they had all agreed to join in the end. And so, once dinner was finished and cleaned away, they all gathered together in the living room. The third years had a group project to work on, so those four were all sat at the dining table. 

Sougo was painstakingly trying to help Tamaki, since the blue-haired boy just didn’t have any motivation to do it to begin with. Riku was sat in the sofa, working on the script for the school play. The rest of Sibuna had been a bit upset with Tamaki for suggesting it without giving them a chance to discus it first, but after thinking it through, now that they could decide what to put in there and not, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. 

Still, Riku was struggling a bit. He loved reading novels, always had. It was one of the few things no one ever had stopped him from doing, no matter how bad he got, and it allowed him a chance to escape his own reality in which he was sick and stuck in bed, and instead travel to all these fantastical universes. And since he liked reading so much, Riku had indeed tried writing some shorter stories of his own in the past, but he had never done something this big that would be shown to so many people. He just hoped he could make it decent. 

While the redhead was struggling with the scrips, Iori and Nagi had gone ahead and borrowed some equipment from the chemistry lab, and they were currently trying to analyze the elixir. Trying being the keyword, as they still hadn’t really gotten anywhere. 

Iori sighed. “This isn’t working, are you sure we aren’t doing it wrong?” He asked. Nagi frowned. “I thought this was how you did it… But chemistry isn’t my strongest subject, so maybe I’m mistaken.” He said. Iori rolled his eyes. “You say that, but didn’t you get full marks in almost every subject last year?” He asked. “I did.” Nagi started. “But chemistry was amongst the lower ones. I mean, it was higher than average, but still, not my best subject.” 

Iori sighed. “Well, either way we have to figure something out… Do you think we’re missing some equipment? Maybe we have to do this in the chemistry lab after all.” He said. Nagi thought for a while, then nodded. “That might be the case, but the lab wasn’t available until this Friday afternoon, so we’d have to wait until then.” He said. 

“Yeah, that’s the thing…” Iori said. “Maybe we should just wash this off and try again? Maybe we did it wrong after all…” The raven-haired boy then suggested. Nagi agreed and then the two started gathering up the equipment before bringing it to the kitchen to clean up. 

As they left the room, Tamaki groaned and rolled off the sofa onto the floor, burying his face in the carpet while making noises that sounded like he was dying. Riku snorted and Sougo sighed. “Tamaki-kun, you only have one assignment left, come on.” Sougo said. Tamaki didn’t say anything, instead he just shook his head in response. 

“It’s due tomorrow, you need to finish it!” Sougo exclaimed. Tamaki turned his head so that he was no longer burying it in the carpet. “I can’t do it! My head will explode from all this studying! I’ll take a red mark over a melted brain!” He complained, making Riku chuckle again. 

Sougo wasn’t amused however, he mostly looked tired. “Look, I’m willing to help you finish it, but you have to be part of it too, otherwise there’s no point. It will be a lot better than failing, trust me.” He argued. Tamaki did sit back up, but he was still adamant about quitting. “Nope, I’m not doing it. No way!” He said stubbornly. 

Sougo sighed. Again. “Well, I’m going to get something to drink, when I get back, please keep going.” He said as he started rising from the sofa. That was when Sougo seemed to spot something. “Actually, isn’t that your water bottle, Tamaki-kun? Do you mind if I have some?” Sougo asked, eyeing the King Pudding themes water bottle on the coffee table. 

Tamaki shrugged and answer without really thinking about what Sougo had just asked him. “Sure, I guess… But I’m still not doing anymore homework!” He said. Sougo sighed and reached out for the bottle before lifting it to his lips and taking a sip. It was only once the bottle was back on the table that Tamaki seemed to realize what had happened. “UWAAA!” He yelled, startling both Riku and Sougo. 

“Tamaki, what’s wrong?” Riku asked in concern. “Rikkun, I messed up…” Tamaki answered while casting glances first at the bottle with the possible elixir, and then at Sougo. Riku then understood what had happened and his eyes widened. Tamaki leaned in closer to Riku in order to whisper to him. “It’s probably fine, right? I mean, Tsukumo drank it and he seems fine.” He said. 

Riku was uncertain, but he nodded anyway. “I suppose, at least if that actually was what we think it is… Still, we should check on Sougo-san.” He said. Tamaki nodded and turned around. “Hey, Sou-chan, how do you-” Tamaki started but stopped as he saw Sougo collapse onto the floor, shaking and frothing at the mouth. “Sou-chan!” He exclaimed, alerting everyone that something was wrong. 

“Sougo-san!” Riku also yelled as he threw his notebooks away and crouched next to Sougo, rolling him onto his side and into such a position so that he wouldn’t choke. “What happened?” Yamato asked as he and the others came running into the living room. “Somebody call an ambulance!” Riku yelled desperately. His hands were shaking, and he could feel tears threatening to fall. This was not supposed to happen. 

“What is all this commotion?!” Tsukumo asked as he stomped into the room, but when he saw Sougo on the ground he immediately understood why everyone was making so much noise. “Tsumugi, get some blankets!” He started to yell. The housemother in return nodded and ran off. “Has anybody called an ambulance?” Tsukumo then asked. 

Nagi pointed at Ryuu who was talking into the phone at the other end of the room. Tsukumo nodded. “Good.” He said. Then they were all waiting for the ambulance, which soon came to take Sougo with them. Tsumugi decided to go with him to the hospital. One of the nurses also came in and asked if Sougo had had anything to eat or drink before he collapsed, something that could have set him off. 

Riku stepped forward and held out the water bottle. “Uhm, he took a sip of this just before he collapsed…” He answered. The nurse nodded, took the bottle and then thanked them before leaving. As the sound of the sirens got more and more distant, a heavy silence settled upon the remaining members of the House of Anubis. 

Tsukumo cleared his throat. “Well, I think that’s enough for tonight, everyone should go back to their own rooms for now. I’ll let you know if I get any updates on Osaka Sougo’s condition.” The older man said before leaving to go back to his office. 

Iori and Nagi walked up to Riku and Tamaki. “What happened? How come Osaka-san drank from the bottle?” Iori asked in disbelief. Tamaki, who wore a guilty expression, was just about to answer them when Riku just took off up the stairs. The other three stared after him in shock before they all decided to follow him. 

They realized Riku had run into his and Nagi’s bedroom and carefully opened the door, only to see Riku with his face buried in his pillow, shoulders shaking and tiny sobs escaping every now and then. Iori decided to sit down by his bedside and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Nanase-san, it’s going to be okay. Osaka-san was sent to the hospital alright, I’m sure they’ll make sure he gets better.” Iori said hopefully. 

Riku sat up and glared at him, at all of them, with tears still running down his face. “You can’t know that though.” He said between sobs. Iori, Nagi and Tamaki all looked sad. “I’m sorry…” Tamaki started. “It’s all my fault, I should have paid more attention, then Sou-chan wouldn’t have drunk it.” He said sadly. 

Nagi shook his head. “No, me and Iori were also at fault, we shouldn’t have left the bottle on the table when we went to clean up the other things…” He said. Iori nodded. “Rokuya-san is right, the blame is not all on you, Yotsuba-san.” He said. 

“It doesn’t matter…” Riku whispered, just loud enough so that the others could hear him. “What?” Iori asked in concern. “If I hadn’t taken this stupid locket in the first place, if I never started to look for the treasure, none of this would have happened! No one would have gotten hurt!” Riku exclaimed. 

Iori grabbed ahold of Riku’s hands. “No, don’t say that! This isn’t your fault, didn’t you just listen to what I was saying? It’s on all of us, so you can’t go around thinking all the blame is on you!” He said sternly, but Riku only shook his head. “I don’t care! I can’t do this anymore…” He said. 

Iori’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean?” He asked. Riku sniffled and pulled the locket up and off from around his neck. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m out, I quit Sibuna.” He said. “Rikkun, no!” Tamaki exclaimed, but Riku wasn’t having it. “I’m sorry!” He yelled before taking Iori’s hand, turning it around and placing the locket in his palm. As this was happening, Iori stared at Riku in disbelief. 

“No…” Iori said, shaking his head. Riku let go of Iori’s hand and the locket. “I don’t care what you guys do, you can keep going if you want to, but I’m out. Nobody was ever supposed to get hurt… I’m really sorry.” He said. New tears started running down Riku’s cheeks as he stood up and left the others behind, staring after the redhead with sad looks on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god... I'm so sorry Sougo, and Riku and everyone... It had to happen. I'll be back on Saturday with an update, so stay tuned to see if Sougo recovers and if Riku adamantly stays out of Sibuna ;) Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sougo gets back home from the hospital, but Riku is still adamant about quiting Sibuna. Can Iori, Tamaki and Nagi make him change his mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit later than usual, but I'm finally here with the new chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next morning arrived and the mood at the dining table was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Iori glanced over at Riku, whose eyes were swollen and blank, as if he had been crying all night. The thought of that instantly made Iori feel worse. Nobody said anything, presumably still upset and shocked about what had happened last night.

Shortly before people started getting up to leave, Tsukumo entered the room and cleared his throat. “You’re all probably wondering if there are any news about Osaka Sougo, and I can now report that there are. Late last night, I got a call from the hospital. Turns out, Osaka Sougo drank cleaning fluid. I don’t know how he came to drink that, and frankly, I don’t really care either. The important thing is that he got the treatment he needed and is in no danger. He’ll come back to the house on Friday, which is tomorrow, and then spend the weekend resting, then he should be back to normal and return to school by next week.” Tsukumo explained. 

There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the room as they all learned Sougo was going to be okay, they had all been really scared that he wouldn’t be fine. “Excuse me!” Tamaki exclaimed, making Tsukumo, who was just starting to leave, turn around and raise an eyebrow in question. “Is it okay if I go visit Sou-chan in the hospital?” Tamaki asked. 

Tsukumo frowned at first but then nodded. “Fine, but on two conditions. One, you may not skip school to do so, in other words, you’re not allowed to go until that is finished for the day. Two, everyone may not go, I will only allow two people to visit him, and it seems Yotsuba Tamaki has taken the first place.” He said, addressing the second part to everyone, before leaving the dining room. 

Tamaki smiled genuinely for the first time since last night now that he knew Sougo was alright and that he could see him later that day. It was a huge relief since he had felt guilty about what had happened. “Okay, I’ll be going after school, does anyone want to join me?” Tamaki asked. 

Mitsuki immediately raised his hand. “If everyone’s okay with it, could I go? I felt bad I wasn’t really of any help last night…” He said. “Nii-san…” Iori whispered, feeling a bit bad that Mitsuki had thought that when it was by no means his fault. Yamato then placed a hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “I’m sure everyone wants to go, but I’m also willing to bet that we’re all okay with giving you the other spot! You’re caring, so I’m sure Sou will appreciate you coming.” He said. 

The others all agreed that Mitsuki could be the one to go, after which Mitsuki smiled graciously and thanked them all for entrusting him with this. Tamaki’s last class would end half an hour before Mitsuki’s, so he told Mitsuki he would wait for him in the student lounge. Once it was decided, people started to get up and leave. 

When Riku also stood up, Iori grabbed his wrist, preventing the redhead from leaving until it was only the two of them, along with Nagi and Tamaki left. For a few seconds, Iori just stared at Riku, who in turn continued to avert his gaze. Iori sighed. “Nanase-san, I know you feel guilty about what happened to Osaka-san, I know you’re scared, but he’s going to be okay. So, won’t you please come back?” Iori asked. 

Riku took a deep breath and shook his head. “You don’t understand! I’m really happy that Sougo-san is okay, but that doesn’t change the fact that because of us, somebody got hurt! It could have ended really badly, and that’s what scares me… I’m sorry, but if you want to keep going, you’re going to have to do it without me.” Riku said before freeing his hand from Iori’s hold and walking away. 

Once again, the atmosphere in the room was tense, but this time it wasn’t tense from worry, it was from anticipation. It was Friday afternoon, and everyone had just hurried back from school. Upon finding the house empty, save for Tsukumo but he very rarely left in the first place, they all knew that any minute now, Tsumugi could return with Sougo. 

When the house’s front door opened, everyone stood up and raced to the entranceway. Once there, they saw Sougo, a bit pale perhaps, but otherwise smiling and looking pretty good. “Sougo-kun! Welcome back!” Ryuu exclaimed. “Thank you, it’s good to be back.” Sougo said with a smile. 

“How are you feeling, Sou?” Yamato the asked as he took a step forward. “It’s getting better. I’m mostly just tired, and then I guess there’s the occasional stomachache.” Sougo answered. “Let us know if you need something, eh?” Yamato continued, making Sougo chuckle. “I appreciate it.” He said. 

Riku then carefully stepped up to Sougo, looking sad and guilty as he did. “Sougo-san, I’m so sorry about what happened.” He said. Sougo’s eyes widened at first, but then he changed his expression into a gentle and kind one as he reached out and patted Riku’s head. “Why are you apologizing? This accident wasn’t your fault, in fact, I don’t blame anyone other than me. I should have stopped the moment I noticed something was off about the contents of that bottle.” He replied. 

Riku forced a small smile onto his face, which seemed to satisfy Sougo, but to Iori, Nagi and Tamaki, who knew the truth, it was obvious that it still bothered the redhead. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go up and rest in my room now. Thank you for coming to greet me though.” Sougo said before he started walking up the stairs with Mitsuki and Yamato in tow. 

Later that same night, Riku was laying in his bed, reading an article on his phone. While he was doing this, Iori, Nagi and Tamaki were discussing the clue. By now, they had looked through all the journals that belonged to Watanabe Ritsu and they hadn’t found anything. They were completely lost. Nagi had suggested they talk about it in his room, since Riku would be there, and they hoped he would rejoin them. So far, that had not happened, as Riku had persistently ignored them for the entire evening. 

“Ugh, this is impossible! There is no place where yesterday always follows tomorrow! Why does all of the riddles have to be so difficult?” Tamaki asked with a groan as he flopped down onto Nagi’s mattress. “Maybe we were wrong, maybe it’s not a book after all…” Iori suggested, though he didn’t sound convinced. 

Tamaki raised his head and looked at Riku. “Rikkun, what do you think?” Tamaki asked. Riku raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. “I’m out, remember? Besides, I’m busy reading about… A Shetland pony parade.” Riku answered awkwardly before averting his gaze from them, turning his head back towards his phone. 

Tamaki sighed, not that he really expected a different reaction, but it was worth the try. “If we can’t figure out the riddle…” Nagi started, making Iori and Tamaki turn to him. “We could always try to sneak back into the cellar? We obviously didn’t get the elixir right last time…” He suggested. Iori frowned. “I think maybe we should let the thing with the elixir go for now… After what happened with Osaka-san, I feel like now is not the time.” He said. Nagi nodded in understanding. 

“Still…” Tamaki said. “I’d like to know whether or not we’re living with a killer who is trying to become immortal…” He said. “We could just interrogate him.” Nagi suggested, but Iori shook his head, saying that it seemed like a bad idea. “What is that?” Tamaki asked. Iori and Nagi looked at him confused. “What is what?” Nagi asked. 

Tamaki frowned. “That word you used. What would we be doing to Tsukumo and why is it bad?” He clarified. Iori looked at Tamaki with a dumbfounded expression. “Are you serious? You don’t know what interrogate means?” He asked and Tamaki only shook his head. Iori groaned. “It’s in every dictionary, look it up on your own.” He said. 

That was when Riku, who had secretly been listening in on everything they had been saying all night, sat up straight in his bed, threw his phone onto the mattress and just stared wide eyed at the wall in front of him. This had startled the other three in the room, who immediately forgot about Tamaki’s apparently limited vocabulary. “Nanase-san?” Iori asked. 

“Of course! Oh my god, we are so stupid!” Riku exclaimed as he stood up and rushed over to his and Nagi’s bookshelf. “Rikkun, what are you doing?” Tamaki asked. Riku didn’t answer, instead he seemed to be looking for something specific in the bookshelf. “Aha!” He soon exclaimed before joining Iori, Nagi and Tamaki, throwing the book he had just gotten from the bookshelf down on the bed before them. It was an english to Japanese dictionary they usually used for schoolwork. 

Riku looked at them expectantly, but they didn’t seem to get it. “Uhm, Rikkun, are you going to tell me what interrogate means?” Tamaki asked. Riku rolled his eyes. “No! I solved the riddle! ‘The one place where yesterday always follows tomorrow’ is a dictionary! The word ‘yesterday’ always comes after the word ‘tomorrow’ because the letter Y comes after the letter T in the alphabet!” Riku exclaimed proudly. 

Iori smiled brightly and pulled Riku in for a hug. “Oh my god, Nanase-san, you’re amazing!” He exclaimed, making Riku chuckle self-consciously. Nagi and Tamaki also looked really happy, but then Nagi started frowning. “I get that the riddle is talking about a dictionary, but which one? It can’t refer to just any random one, right?” He asked. 

Riku smirked. “Leave that to me, I think I know which one we’re looking for.” He said before standing up and running to the door. “I’ll be right back!” He exclaimed before leaving. Nagi, Iori and Tamaki stared at each other in shock. “Well,” Nagi started. “I think we got Riku back.” He said, making both Iori and Tamaki smile and relax. 

Meanwhile, Riku had rushed downstairs and was now knocking on the door to Ryuu and Gaku’s room. Ryuu was the one who opened, and he seemed quite shocked to see Riku standing there. “Riku-kun? Did you need something?” He asked. Riku smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I sort of needed to ask Yaotome-san something if that’s alright with you…” He said. Ryuu smiled and nodded. “Of course, come on in!” He said. Riku nodded and thanked him before stepping into the room, closing the door behind him. 

Gaku, upon seeing Riku, raised an eyebrow in question. “Nanase? What’s up?” He asked. “Uhm…” Riku started awkwardly, not really sure how to do this. He decided to just go for it. “Do you remember after my initiation? I gave you a book that I brought down from the attic. I wonder what you did with it after that…” Riku explained. 

Gaku frowned in confusion. “That book? I think I just put it in one of my drawers… Hang on, let me check.” He said. Riku nodded and then waited patiently for Gaku to try and find it. “Here we go.” Gaku said a few minutes later, pulling out the small beleathered book. Just as Riku had thought, it was a English to Arabic dictionary with small metal clasps on the side. 

Riku smiled brightly. “Great! Uhm, I don’t suppose I could have it back?” He asked. Gaku looked questioningly at him, but then shrugged and handed him the book. “I suppose… I don’t have any use for it either way, but what do you need it for?” He asked curiously. 

Riku could feel sweat run down his back, he couldn’t tell him the truth but what would he say then? Luckily, it wasn’t long until he thought of something. “It’s for the school play!” He said. “I see.” Gaku answered, seemingly buying Riku’s excuse. “Thank you so much!” Riku then exclaimed before leaving the room. 

Once Riku got back upstairs he proudly presented the book to Iori, Tamaki and Nagi. “Tada! I present to you a beleathered and clasped English to Arabic dictionary, in which yesterday will follow tomorrow!” He said, sounding awfully proud. 

Iori took the book and smiled at Riku. “Amazing! Where did you find it?” He asked. Riku sheepishly rubbed his cheek. “Actually… It was the book I brought to Yaotome-san during my initiation. It was originally in the attic, so it must have belonged to the Watanabes.” Riku explained. 

“I see!” Nagi said. “That’s how you knew you had to look for this specific dictionary! Good job, Riku!” He continued, giving Riku a wink at the end, making the redhead blush and smile. Iori felt very much at ease, it was the first time since the incident with Sougo that Iori had seen the other boy smile genuinely. “Hey Rikkun, does this mean you are joining Sibuna again?” Tamaki asked. Iori could see the light fade from Riku’s face as he realized what had just happened. And so, the happy moment was over. 

Riku gave them a sad smile. “I just… I happened to figure it out, so I helped… But I still don’t intend to keep going.” He said, making the other three a bit sad. Although, Iori could see that Riku had really enjoyed solving the riddle, and that he had looked conflicted as he said he wouldn’t join, meaning he probably did want to join them again, which was something at least. Iori could work with that. 

“Well.” Iori started. “If Nanase-san isn’t joining, let’s just keep going by ourselves.” He said, believing that Riku would come to his senses sooner rather than later. Tamaki nodded and took the book, then he reached for the two clasps that were holding it shut in order to open it. However, Tamaki struggled to get it open, grunting as the clasps just didn’t want to budge. 

Nagi noticed something then. “Tamaki, wait! Look at the side, the clasps have an eye symbol on them! You don’t think…” He said. Iori’s eyes widened as he saw that Nagi was indeed correct. “Give me that!” He said and took the book from Tamaki. “You’re right, Rokuya-san! We need to use the locket to open the book! That means this definitely has to be the right one.” Iori said. 

Nagi and Tamaki looked in anticipation as Iori fished out Sara’s locket from his pocket, where he had kept it since Riku had given it to him. Iori gulped and brought the locket up to the clasps. Nothing seemed to happen, but he still tried to open it, maybe it just didn’t want to shine like when Riku opened the door in the attic or the oven in the kitchen. But still, the clasps didn’t budge. 

They all frowned. “Maybe you’re doing it wrong, let me try.” Tamaki said. Iori nodded and gave him the book and the locket, but Tamaki didn’t fare any better than Iori had. Tamaki sighed. “Rikkun, I think your locket is broken! It doesn’t work!” He said. 

Riku frowned, looking a bit worried. “What do you mean it doesn’t work?” Riku asked as he came over to them, checking just what was wrong. Iori took the book and the locket back and showed Riku. “Am I doing it right?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “I guess? I don’t really think there’s a specific way to do it though…” He answered. 

“Maybe it only works when Riku does it?” Nagi suggested. It was true that no one other than Riku had tried to use the locket before, so that could be the case. Still, why would the locket respond to only Riku? “I guess it’s worth a shot?” Iori asked as he handed Riku the book and the locket. 

Riku looked a bit uncertain at first, but soon sighed and took the two objects. As he brought the locket close to the book, the jewel in the center started glowing, and as he placed it against each clasp, they opened on their own without any difficulty. 

“Wow…” Tamaki said in awe. Iori stood up then and grabbed ahold of Riku’s shoulders, making the redhead meet his gaze. “See? I told you we couldn’t do this without you. Nanase-san, Sara asked you to find it for a reason, she was adamant that it had to be you, and I don’t think that’s just because she happened to meet you or that she just likes you. You’re special, and we need you in order to find this treasure.” He said seriously. 

Riku gulped. “But… But I never…” Riku started, averting his gaze from Iori’s. “Why me? I don’t know if I can do this… I’m not strong enough…” He said. “Are you kidding me?” Iori asked, making Riku look up at him. “Nanase-san, you’re the strongest person I know! You’re brave, and smart, and you stay optimistic despite everything! You’ve been through a lot, with your health and your family, but you’re still fighting.” 

“Iori…” Riku said in awe, his eyes wide as Iori kept talking. “I know this may be difficult but remember that you’re not in this alone. We’re all here with you. I’ll be here with you, every step of the way.” Iori said. Riku could feel tears well up in his eyes and a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. He leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against Iori’s chest. “Okay…” He said quietly. 

Iori smiled fondly and rubbed Riku’s back reassuringly. “We’re doing this for Sara, just like you’ve said before. And whenever you get scared or insecure, just remember that we’re here with you.” He said. Riku hummed in confirmation, still with his face buried in Iori’s shirt. 

Nagi apparently couldn’t hold it in any longer at that. “You guys are too much! That was so cute!” He exclaimed, wiping imaginary tears from the corner of his eyes. Tamaki started clapping his hands. “Way to go, Iorin!” He said. 

Iori pushed Riku back, his face flaming red at the implications. Riku wasn’t faring any better, once what Nagi and Tamaki had said sunk in. His own face was now almost matching his hair. Iori cleared his throat and sat back down. “Well, now that we’re all together again, should we open that dictionary and see what’s inside?” He said, trying to change the subject. 

Riku nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I think that sounds like a great idea!” He said. Tamaki and Nagi gave each other knowing looks, but decided to go with it, and thus nodded in agreement. Taking this as the ‘go ahead’, Riku slowly opened the dictionary, only to be met with an empty hole cut into the pages. “Maybe we’re missing something… Could I have that flashlight?” Riku asked as he brought the book closer, intending to give it a thorough inspection under better lighting. After a while, Iori noticed something. “Stop!” He exclaimed, startling Riku who now looked at him questioningly. “What?” He asked. 

“Do that again. With the flashlight.” Iori demanded. Riku nodded and brought the flashlight closer to the book, letting the light and the heat from the lamp seep into the compartment. “There!” Iori exclaimed and pointed at the bottom of the empty space inside the book. “There’s writing there! It must have been written in some sort of invisible ink, and now it’s reacting to the heat from the flashlight!” He said. 

And sure enough, as Riku kept moving the flashlight back and forth over the bottom of the book, some brown writing started appearing on the blank page. Once it was all there, Riku read it out loud. “Under the eyes of Horus, a globe and hollow lie, two right for eternity but just one left to die.” He said. 

Tamaki frowned. “I feel like I say this with every new riddle we get, but what does it mean?” He asked. “I don’t know.” Iori said before smiling. “But the important thing is that we’re making progress. We have our next clue, and I’m sure we’ll solve it eventually, like with all the ones before.” He said. They all smiled at each other, now feeling motivated. And if Tamaki and Nagi noticed Iori and Riku’s gazes lingering on each other a bit longer, they didn’t comment on it. 

Riku was woken in the middle of the night by someone knocking on the door to his and Nagi’s bedroom. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before he sleepily walked up to the door. Upon opening it, Riku saw Iori standing on the other side. “Iori? What are you doing here? It’s so late…” Riku said. 

Iori looked a bit guilty as he had woken Riku up, but he had obviously had a reason for coming so late. “I’m sorry for waking you, but I figured out something about the new clue, and I figured that the sooner we do this, the better.” He said. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “You figured something out already? It’s only been a few hours!” Riku exclaimed. “Should we wake Nagi and Tamaki then?” He asked. Iori shook his head. “I think it’d be better if it was just us this time, let’s allow them to sleep.” He said. Riku nodded, he had gotten used to it being all four of them and he really liked having so many around, but he only realized now that he also sort of missed sneaking around with only Iori. 

Riku started blushing as he realized what he was thinking, and so he shook his head slightly and closed the door to his bedroom, so that they wouldn’t wake Nagi by accident. “Okay, so what did you figure out?” He asked Iori curiously. “Well,” Iori started. “First of all, I searched up what the ‘eye of Horus’ means, and it’s an old Egyptian symbol.” He said, fishing out his phone and showing Riku a picture. 

Riku’s eyes widened as he instantly recognized the symbol. “That looks just like my locket!” He exclaimed. Iori nodded. “Does that mean my locket has something to do with this riddle? Is there something more here except for the picture of Sara?” Riku speculated as he picked up the locket. 

Iori shook his head. “It’s possible we may need it, but I don’t think that’s the ‘eye of Horus’ that the riddle wants us to find.” He said. “Oh, okay…” Riku said before allowing Iori to continue explaining. “But before I move on to the riddle, the eye of Horus is a symbol of protection, royal power and good health. Maybe Sara didn’t only give it to you because we needed it to find the treasure. Maybe it was her way of protecting you.” Iori suggested. 

Riku gasped. “It’s like a protective charm?” He asked. Iori smiled and nodded. “Yes, exactly.” He said. Riku smiled and looked down on the locket that hung around his neck. He scooped it up and brought it closer to his chest. “Thank you, Sara.” He whispered before turning back to Iori. “And thank you to you too. I guess I’ve been feeling a bit down, recently, this made me feel a lot better.” Riku said. 

“It was nothing, I’m just glad you’re back with us and that you’re smiling again.” Iori responded. “Anyway,” Iori then continued, snapping himself and Riku out of the somewhat tender atmosphere that surrounded them. “The riddle.” He said. “Right, the riddle!” Riku exclaimed, waiting for Iori to tell him what he had learned. 

“I just realized that your locket isn’t the only place where I recognized the eye of Horus from. We have it here in the house!” He said. “Really?” Riku asked. “Where?” Iori grabbed ahold of Riku’s wrist and started leading him towards the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He said. 

They walked downstairs, and then Iori turned Riku around so that he was looking at the banisters surrounding the staircase. “See something familiar?” He asked. Riku’s eyes widened. “The banisters… They’re shaped like eyes! Just like my locket!” He exclaimed excitedly. Iori nodded with a smug smile on his face. “Under the eyes of Horus, a globe and hollow lie.” Iori repeated before he walked up to the stairs. 

“Look here, the handles of the staircase have globes on them, and as I walked up to get you, I confirmed that they all have the eye of Horus symbol carved into them.” Iori explained. Riku jogged up to join him. “So, you think the next clue is in one of the globes on the handles of the staircase?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Yes, but I think the one we’re looking for has to be hollow, just like in the riddle.” He said. 

“Okay.” Riku said determinedly. “Let’s check them until we find the right one then!” He said. Iori nodded before knocking on the first one, which was not hollow. Iori then moved on to the second one, which wasn’t hollow either. When he then knocked on the third globe, it sounded different. Iori turned to Riku with an excited expression. “It’s hollow.” He said. 

The two tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. “That’s weird, it has to be this one…” Iori said. “Iori, wait!” Riku exclaimed, startling Iori a bit. “What?” He asked. “The riddle.” Riku started. “The second part of it said, ‘two right for eternity, but just one left to die’.” He said. “Maybe we have to turn it twice to the right?” Riku suggested. 

Iori nodded and did just that. The globe turned without any problems, and once Iori had done it twice, the top of the globe became loose. Riku smiled up at Iori. “We did it!” He said. Iori frowned. “What would have happened if we turned it to the left?” He asked. “Well,” Riku started. “I doubt we would have actually died, but maybe it would have locked itself, making it so that we could never get what’s inside.” He suggested. 

Iori nodded. “Well, now that we can get it, let’s see what it is.” He said. Riku smiled a smile full of excitement and grabbed onto Iori’s arm as the raven-haired boy slowly twisted and lifted the top of the hollow globe off, revealing another relic inside. The relic was small, much smaller than the others they had found, and very flat. It consisted of a square disk surrounded by tube-like things on three of its sides with globes attached at the four corners. It was decorated with similar colors and motifs as the rest of the relics they had found. 

Iori and Riku looked at each other excitedly as Iori first put the top of the handle back, before turning back to observe the new relic. “Iori, we found it!” Riku exclaimed. Iori was about to reply but was interrupted by another voice coming from behind them. “Found what?” A voice that both of them instantly recognized said. 

They both turned around, only to stand face to face with and angry-looking Tsukumo. Riku felt a shiver go down his spine and he was willing to bet his face had turned very pale in fright. “Uhm…” He said. Iori had quickly hidden the relic behind his back, but they both knew that Tsukumo had seen him do it. 

Tsukumo held out his hand, palm up. “Give it here.” He said sternly. Neither Iori or Riku said or did anything, so Tsukumo had to repeat himself. “Give it! Now! Otherwise I’ll get you both suspended.” He roared, making both of them flinch. As a result, Iori reluctantly handed Tsukumo the relic. 

Tsukumo’s eyes widened as he saw what Iori had handed him. Riku and Iori were shocked that the moment Tsukumo got the relic, he just turned around and walked back up the stairs in a daze, as if he had completely forgotten about the two of them. The moment he closed the door to his office behind him, Iori and Riku rushed up the stairs to see what he would do with the relic. 

For a minute, he just observed it under better lighting, then he said something to Corbierre that neither of them could make out. After that he walked over to the corner of his office, to where he apparently kept a safe. As he opened it, Iori and Riku were even more surprised to see him pull out a second relic that looked almost identical to the one they had just found. 

Riku turned to Iori, his expression worried. “Tsukumo already had one.” He said. Iori gulped and nodded. “Do you think he knows what they are?” He asked. Riku nodded. “Judging from the way he was staring at the one we found, probably.” He said. Iori nodded. “what do we do now?” Riku then asked. “Isn’t it obvious?” Iori asked in return. “We have to get them back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like their luck finally ran out... Riku's back with them, but what will they do now that Tsukumo has two of the relics? Find out on Wednesday, because that's when I'll be back with the next chapter.  
> Here is a very bad picture of the relic they found this time: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/5/5f/185px-HoAHoH11.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110425220332  
> And here is a drawing of that relic where you can better see the details: https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/93726dd8-c277-4669-bb79-7c6a503e4df4/d5h0kjq-6e0d8630-fb1a-4fa3-8f50-96625e6f10fd.png/v1/fill/w_276,h_354,q_80,strp/clues_by_brandon26694_d5h0kjq-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MzU0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOTM3MjZkZDgtYzI3Ny00NjY5LWJiNzktN2M2YTUwM2U0ZGY0XC9kNWgwa2pxLTZlMGQ4NjMwLWZiMWEtNGZhMy04ZjUwLTk2NjI1ZTZmMTBmZC5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9Mjc2In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.y72EuqgToyyYcEV2LfACd_r2ku1Dvk-0LVoO87kpRRs  
> With that, I'd also like to thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! And thank you to everyone who left me kudos and comments! <3<3


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku share with Nagi and Tamaki what happened with Tsukumo the previous night and the four now have to come up with a plan to take the relics back. Meanwhile, the culture festival is fast approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! I hope you enjoy it! ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can contact me on my twitter: @EFagerhag

After what they had seen, Iori and Riku decided to return to their respective rooms and discuss what to do about the relic that Tsukumo had taken from them the next day when they could do so along with Nagi and Tamaki. And so, after a night’s rest, Iori and Riku took the first chance they could find to gather all of Sibuna together for a meeting. They explained how Iori had solved the riddle, how the two of them had found the next piece of the puzzle, only to have it snatched away by Tsukumo a moment later! Oh, and also about the second relic already inside Tsukumo’s safe.

Neither Tamaki or Nagi blamed Riku and Iori for losing the relic, in fact, they were all kind of surprised that they had gotten away with doing so much without getting caught until now. Nagi and Tamaki were actually more upset about having been left out when Iori and Riku went to get the relic than about them losing it. 

“What happened last night was unfortunate,” Iori started once he and Riku had finished their explanation. “But we can’t stay upset about it for too long. We have to think of a way to get the relics back.” He said. The other three nodded. “But how are we supposed to do that? We not only have to sneak into Tsukumo’s office, but he put them in a safe, and we have no idea what the code is…” Riku said. 

“Yes, that safe poses quite a problem…” Nagi said thoughtfully while Tamaki nodded. Iori, however, seemed to have already thought about that. “Leave the safe to me. When we watched Tsukumo last night, I could sort of see him input the password, I think I might be able to remember it…” He said. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “Really? You remember it?” He asked excitedly. Iori nodded, though Riku could tell from his posture and expression that he wasn’t a hundred percent certain he was right. Iori looked to be deep in thought for a minute, surely trying to remember the combination. “Iorin, are you okay? You look constipated…” Tamaki said, making both Riku and Nagi first snort, then shush him. 

It didn’t seem as if Iori had heard him though, as his eyes shot open and he started tapping the surface of the desk in front of him. “Pen and paper! Give me pen and paper, quick!” He exclaimed. Riku hurried to open a drawer and rummage through it until he managed to pull out a notebook and a pen that he handed to Iori, who immediately started scribbling things onto the blank page. 

As the others leaned over him, they saw that he was drawing a keypad, just like the one on Tsukumo’s safe. “Okay.” Iori started once he was finished. “So, I’m pretty sure he pressed the top right button twice, then the middle one in the central row once, and then I think it was the bottom left once.” He said. 

“That would make the code 3357!” Riku exclaimed. Iori nodded and wrote it down. “Are you sure though?” Nagi asked. “We have to be certain, or there’s no point.” He said. Iori frowned. “I think this is it, but I was standing a bit away from it and Tsukumo was partially covering the keypad with his hand… This is what I think I saw, and I really believe it’s our best bet because I don’t think Tsukumo will just have it written down on some easily accessible place.” Iori said before faltering. “But no, I can’t be a hundred percent certain that I’ve got the correct combination.” He admitted. 

Nagi sighed. “If we don’t have the combination, I say it’s too risky. I think we should wait until we know more.” He said. “We can’t wait too long though!” Riku exclaimed, making them all turn to him. “We’ve probably only got a limited time to find this treasure, we can’t waste time working out other possible combinations when we already have one that might work.” He argued. 

“You’re not thinking about it properly, it’s just way too risky to go now! I can agree that maybe it would be a waste to not even try this combination, but even so, we can’t just recklessly take the relics from Tsukumo’s safe at the first chance we get.” Nagi continued to argue. 

“I don’t understand… Why not? Why can’t we just take them back? He was the one who took the relic from us in the first place.” Tamaki stated. “Even so,” Nagi started. “He’ll know it was us the moment he notices it’s gone. And with that, he can search our rooms to take them back, in which case he might find all the other relics and clues as well, and we can’t afford to lose anything else.” He explained. 

Riku sighed, slumped down onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair. “So what? Are we just supposed to give up then? Is this it? After all we did, the moment Tsukumo get’s one small piece of the puzzle, it’s all over?” He asked, sounding just about ready to give up, which seemed to get to both Iori and Tamaki. But luckily, Nagi didn’t seem to feel down. 

The blonde man just smiled and winked at them. “That’s not what I said.” He started. “If we just sneak into the office, crack open the safe and take the relics, then Tsukumo will know for sure it was us. But what if we did it at a time when Tsukumo has no reason to believe we could have taken them?” Nagi suggested with a smug smile. 

“Rokuya-san, what are you suggesting?” Iori asked. “Actually, I don’t know exactly. Yet. But what we need is an alibi. If Tsukumo believes we’re somewhere else while we’re actually here, going through his safe, it should be okay. We just have to wait and think about what sort of alibi that could be.” Nagi explained. 

Riku sat up then and locked eyes with Nagi. “You think that will be enough?” He asked. “I don’t think we have much of a choice. Creating an alibi and then taking the relics might be our only chance at doing this successfully.” Nagi answered. Riku nodded and so it was decided. They would all think about when they could break into the office, but little did they know, an opportunity lay right around the corner. 

Much to their dismay, the weekend had been very busy for everyone in Anubis House, making it so that Riku, Iori, Tamaki and Nagi barely had any time to think about how and when to break into Tsukumo’s safe. Riku had finished the script, and the entire weekend had been spent practicing for the play, seeing as the culture festivals was to be held at the end of the coming week. 

It was now Monday, the week of the festival and the play. It was lunchtime, and Riku, Iori and Tamaki waited for Nagi to arrive, so that they could actually spend some time to discuss how to proceed for now. They hated the fact that they had to wait, even though they understood the reasons for it. It was frustrating that Tsukumo now had two of their relics, and even more so that he might figure out the next step before them. 

Something that had surprised them, however, was the fact that Tsukumo hadn’t confronted them about any of it. He must know by now that they were up to something, and that they at least had an inkling about what was actually hidden inside the house. And yet, Tsukumo had acted as if nothing had ever happened, he had not even given Iori and Riku a punishment for being out and about after ten o’clock. 

They had also thought about how much Tsukumo actually knew. It was clear from what Sara had told them, what Riku and Nagi had overheard him and Kujou talk about, as well as the fact that Tsukumo already possessed a relic of his own, that he already knew there was a treasure hidden in the house. The question was only, how much of the full story did he know? 

Based on his reaction to seeing Iori and Riku with the relic he had taken, he didn’t know of the things they had already found. He seemed very surprised at seeing the relic, as if he hadn’t expected to find anything like it. Which threw them off for a bit, since he should be fully aware of what secrets the house hid. 

It was all so confusing, and also frustrating how the further they got into the mystery, the more questions arose, the more complicated everything became. The moment one of their questions were answered, two new ones appeared, it was like it never came to an end. 

Riku sighed, and now that the culture festival and the school play were approaching fast, they had even less time than before to keep moving forward with this. They had also encountered another problem recently, before, when it had only been Riku, Iori and Tamaki, they had rarely needed to wait for each other, seeing as they all had the same schedule. Now that Nagi had joined them, who was a year older and thus had a different schedule, it took away even more of their time, as they tended to work on it mostly when they were all together. 

And that was also why they were sat in the student lounge right now, waiting for the older blonde. Riku, who started feeling a bit restless and felt like he had to do something, pushed his chair out and stood up, making Iori and Tamaki turn to him. “I’m just going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” He said with a smile. Iori and Tamaki nodded in affirmation. 

Riku made quick work of it, taking care of his business so that he could hurry back to the others. Hopefully Nagi would have arrived by the time he got back. However, Riku stopped in his tracks as he heard raised voices coming from the headmaster’s office, and not only that, the one speaking was none other than Tsukumo Ryou. 

Riku frowned, what was he doing here at the school? Riku decided to sneak closer and try to listen to what they were saying, luckily the door wasn’t fully closed, meaning he could hear everything they said as long as he stood close enough. Riku held his breath and paid close attention to what was being said. 

“I’m telling you, Yaotome, we were mistaken! This is serious, it could jeopardize everything!” Tsukumo exclaimed desperately. 

“What do you mean?” Sousuke asked. “Didn’t you say that you had already acquired the Ankh?” He interrogated further. 

“No, I’ve never said that.” Tsukumo stated. “I said I had acquired the key to the ankh. But it has just come to my attention that I was wrong.” He continued. 

“What do you mean you were wrong? You’d think one would know whether or not one possessed the key to something as significant as the Ankh.” A new voice that Riku recognized as the one belonging to their english teacher, Anesagi Kaoru, said. 

“Well, I suppose Watanabe Ritsu was a lot cleverer than I gave him credit for. I did not realize there were multiple relics that needed to be found. I do admit, it was naïve of me to think that, but we need to move on. There could be more relics hidden throughout the house, and if that’s the case, we need to find them before the chosen hour is upon us.” Tsukumo said. 

Riku could hear the headmaster sigh. “We finally had everything, we have some of the elixir, the boy is secured, the seven acolytes are gathered, and we thought we had the ankh within our grasp as well, but now, this close to the chosen hour, it turns out that we don’t.” Sousuke said. Riku frowned. _‘Elixir? So Tsukumo really is brewing an elixir of life. The boy… probably refers to Tenn-nii. But what are the seven acolytes? And could the Ankh be... the treasure?’_ He thought to himself. 

“We’ll just have to find it before it’s time.” Tsukumo said. 

“And can you do that?” A new voice said, this one Riku recognized as Shimaoka’s, their drama teacher. Just how many of the staff at the school was in on this? 

There was a pause, but then Tsukumo spoke up once more. “Yes, leave it to me. The only reason I’ve only had one so far is because I didn’t know there were any more. I didn’t even bother to look. But don’t worry, now that I know the truth, I’ll find everything Ritsu hid in my house.” He said, sounding determined. 

“We’ll leave it to you then. For now.” Sousuke said with a sigh. “But if things take too long, we might have to interfere. For this society’s sake.” He continued. 

“I understand. Trust me, I’ll get it done.” Tsukumo assured them. “I know more than anyone that it’s useless to try and tip the scales without the ankh. True immortality won’t be upon us if we fail.” He said. 

There were some murmurs that Riku couldn’t quite make out then, but he assumed it was mostly them agreeing with Tsukumo. “Oh, and one more thing.” Tsukumo then spoke up again. “Don’t mention any of this to Kujou. If he finds out we don’t actually have access to the Ankh, he won’t hesitate to take matters into his own hands. And I fear what he may do if he got to take over, nobody at this school would be safe, even if they’re not involved.” He said. 

Riku gulped. Was Kujou Takamasa really that dangerous? And his brother was stuck with him for now? Riku could do nothing but pray that his brother was safe, wherever he was, and it was awfully frustrating that there was nothing else he could do about it. 

“I understand.” Sousuke answered regarding Tsukumo’s request to keep it a secret from Kujou. “I’d much rather keep him out of all of this, if possible.” He continued. 

“Yes.” Tsukumo agreed. “If only Kujou wasn’t the only one with access to the boy, we could pull away from him. But as it is now, we need Kujou’s help. For all of our sakes.” He said. The others agreed, and then Riku heard people making their way out of the office. He panicked, seeing as he was stood right outside the door, and ran around the corner, hiding in one of the supply closets there. 

Riku waited until he was certain he had heard everyone leaving the headmaster’s office before he decided to come out of the supply closet. He then hurriedly made his way back to the student lounge, where he found that Iori and Tamaki had been joined by Nagi during his absence. “Oh good, you’re all here.” Riku exclaimed in relief as he saw them. 

“Rikkun! There you are! You were gone a long time, did you have to take a dump?” Tamaki asked, completely shameless, but Riku couldn’t care less about it for the time being. “That’s not important right now. Come on! We have to go somewhere we can be alone, there’s something I have to tell you guys.” He said as he grabbed his stuff and made sure the others followed him as he left the lounge. 

“Nanase-san, what’s wrong?” Iori asked in worry and confusion, feelings that were mirrored on Tamaki and Nagi’s expressions. “I’ll tell you soon.” Riku said. “I just need to make sure we’re alone first.” He continued, looking into every classroom they passed on the way until he found one that was both empty and unlocked. Once they were all inside, Riku closed the door, locked it from inside and took a seat at one of the desks. The others followed suit. 

“Care to explain what’s going on now?” Iori asked impatiently. Riku nodded and leaned in closer to everyone else. “When I was on my way back, I overheard people talking in the headmaster’s office. It was, of course, the headmaster, but also Anesagi-sensei, Shimaoka-sensei and Tsukumo.” He said. 

Nagi frowned. “Tsukumo was there?” He asked. Riku nodded. “There could have been someone else, but those four were the only ones I heard, and the door was almost fully closed, so I couldn’t really see inside. But I did hear almost everything they said. And get this, Tsukumo and Kujou are not the only ones looking for the treasure in Anubis House. All of the teachers in the office today are in on it.” He said. 

They all looked at Riku in shock and disbelief. “No way… Are you sure?” Tamaki asked. “Yes.” Riku answered. “Tsukumo told them about the relic, but he only thought there was one, that’s why he was so surprised when he saw us with it, he didn’t know there were any other than the one he already had.” Riku explained. 

“Of course, it makes more sense now.” Iori said and Riku nodded. “The bad news is that now Tsukumo will really be on the hunt. He will also look for the treasure, so we’re going to have to be even more careful than we were before, we’re also going to have to hurry up and get the pieces back. We have to come up with a plan.” He said. 

Nagi nodded. “Yes, it seems as if we’re really pressed for time now.” He agreed. “And that’s not all.” Riku spoke up again, making his friends turn back to him. “The headmaster mentioned the elixir, so we were right about Tsukumo making it in the cellar. Also, it seems they need four things for whatever they’re trying to do, become immortal or whatever ‘tipping the scales of life’ really means.” Riku said. 

“Go on.” Iori said, now intrigued. “The first is the elixir, obviously, and the second is the treasure, which, by the way, Tsukumo referred to as ‘the Ankh’? And he also called the relics ‘keys to the Ankh’. Does that ring any bells?” He asked. Nagi and Tamaki shook their heads while Iori looked to be deep in thought. 

“Anyway,” Riku continued. “They also need a person, ‘the boy’, and based on what we’ve figured out so far, I think it’s very likely that this person is my brother. I think that’s why Kujou removed him from the school. Tsukumo and the teachers seem to want to cut ties with Kujou, they think he’s dangerous, but they can’t do it as long as he has Tenn-nii, which must be why he had him quit the school and move back home with him.” Riku explained. 

“Oh my god…” Nagi said. “Poor Tenten… I hope he’s okay.” Tamaki added. Riku nodded, looking sad. “Yes, the fact that the teachers seem to think of Kujou as someone dangerous worries me, but at least they need Tenn-nii for something, so I doubt he’s in any danger until that is done. At least, that’s what I hope…” Riku said. 

Nagi reached out and took ahold of Riku’s hand. “It will be fine, if we have to, we’ll both find the treasure and save your brother. We’re already in this pretty deep, so what’s one more thing to find either way?” He said, smiling reassuringly. Riku smiled sadly and nodded. “Thank you.” He said. 

“Sorry to interrupt.” Iori said and the others turned to him. “But you said they needed four things, what is the last?” He asked Riku, who nodded before he started explaining again. “Well, they mentioned something called ‘the seven acolytes’, but I have no idea what that is… Any of you have an idea?” He asked. 

Iori, Nagi and Tamaki all shook their heads. “Still, we were only asked to find the treasure, so maybe we don’t have to care too much about the acolytes… You said they needed all four, does that mean that they will fail if even one of those are missing?” Iori asked. 

Riku nodded. “Yes, at least I think that’s the case.” He answered. “Alright.” Iori said with a frown. “This does complicate things, but it doesn’t change what we have to do. Solve the clues and find the treasure before anyone else does.” He said. 

Riku, Tamaki and Nagi nodded in determination. “By the way, what did you say that Tsukumo called the relics again?” Iori then asked Riku, who raised an eyebrow in question. “Keys to the Ankh, why?” He asked. Iori then fished out a book from his backpack and started flipping through the pages. 

“I think I read something… Here!” He exclaimed and stopped on one of the pages. “Listen to this, it’s a story about Tutankhamun’s secret lover, Amneris.” Iori said before he started reading out loud from the book, which Riku noted was one about old Egyptian history, legends and myths. 

“Before Tutankhamun’s death, the god Anubis entrusted Amneris with the Cup of Ankh – the cup of immortality.” Iori started, eyeing the others as he said ‘the Cup of Ankh’. Everyone looked excitedly at him as he kept going. “When the elixir of life is drunk from the Cup of Ankh, it grants immortality to all who drank from it. In the wrong hands, it could lead to tyranny, despots and all-out war.” 

“Legend has it that Amneris buried the Cup of Ankh with her lover, inside Tutankhamun’s tomb, where she hoped it would remain hidden forever. But there are some that believes it was found and removed at the time of the tomb’s excavation in 1922.” Iori finished, giving the others a knowing look. 

“1922 was the year the Watanabes helped excavating the tomb! Combined with the fact that I heard Tsukumo refer to the treasure as the Ankh, we might actually be looking for this cup! The cup of immortality…” Riku said. 

“So, does that mean our caretaker is actually immortal?” Tamaki asked, sounding a bit confused. Iori shook his head. “Not yet, he isn’t. I mean, he clearly hasn’t found the cup yet, so how could he be?” He said. Nagi nodded. “Yes, that does seem to be the case.” He said. 

“The Cup of Ankh… If it’s really so powerful, no wonder Sara wanted us to find it and keep it safe. It can’t ever get into the wrong hands.” Riku said. “We have to do it. We have to find the Cup of Ankh.” Riku exclaimed determinedly. The others nodded in agreement, now more motivated to find this cup before anyone else could. 

It was later that day, after school when they were all rehearsing for the school play that Riku had a thought. They had already decided who would play who, and since they were all guys, it meant that some of them would have to play girls as well. Riku had been chosen to play Sara, Yamato was going to play Tsukumo, Nagi and Mitsuki would play Sara’s parents, Momo and Yuki would play a mummy and a god while Tamaki and the rest either had smaller roles or worked behind the scenes. (Of course all of the names had been changed, they didn’t want everyone who saw the play what it was actually based on.) 

Riku was currently sat with Iori near the back of the stage, looking through his scenes and when he would be appearing, and that was when he had a realization. “Iori, Tsukumo is going to be at the play, right?” He asked. Iori raised an eyebrow in question and nodded. “Yeah, Shimaoka invited him personally along with the caretaker from the other boarding house since it’s their students who do it. They’re sort of required to be there.” He answered. 

“Why did you ask?” Iori then wondered. “Well…” Riku started. “If Tsukumo is here. Watching the play, that means the house will be empty! Tsumugi won’t be there, she promised to come watch the moment she learned we were putting on a play.” He explained, though Iori still didn’t quite understand where Riku was going with this. “Yes, that’s right, but why is that relevant?” He asked. 

“Because!” Riku exclaimed. “If he’s here, that gives us the perfect opportunity to sneak into his office and take back the relics! We’re supposed to be at the play, so that’s our alibi! We couldn’t have taken it because we were performing at the time.” He said with a smug smile. Iori frowned. “Yes, it would be a good opportunity, except for the fact that we do actually need to be here, we can’t both do the play and sneak into his office.” Iori said, sounding very skeptic of Riku’s idea. 

“Not me. I appear in the first scene, right after Yuki-senpai finishes narrating the background of the story, and then I don’t appear again until the second act! That should give me at least forty minutes to go to the house, get the relics and go back. It’s enough.” Riku explained. 

Iori had to admit that it was indeed possible, but he still didn’t like the idea very much. “It could work, but you shouldn’t go alone, and Nagi is on almost the entire first act, so is Tamaki, even though he’s just in the back, and I have work backstage that has to be done continuously throughout the entire show!” He argued. 

Riku rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine! Besides, we really need to get them back, who knows when we’ll get an opportunity like this again? We have to take every chance we get, even if it means I have to do it alone.” He said. 

“I still think it’s too risky.” Iori said, looking worried. Then, after about a minute of Riku staring pleadingly at him, Iori sighed. “But you are right that we need to get the relics back as soon as possible. Maybe the play is our only chance.” He admitted. 

Riku nodded. “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t go alone, but if that’s what it takes, we’ll have to do it. There’s too much at stake.” He said. Iori nodded and grabbed Riku’s hand, making the redhead look at him confusedly. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. We might still get another chance to get them back even if you fail, but if Tsukumo catches you, he’ll send you away. And we can’t do this without you.” Iori said. 

Riku smiled and squeezed Iori’s hand tighter. “I promise.” He said. Iori smiled, but he wasn’t really feeling very reassured. He just had a bad feeling that something was bound to go wrong. He could only hope he was wrong, because in the end, he knew they had to go through with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! They learned some new things about the treasure, the Cup of Ankh, and about what Tsukumo and the rest are up to... Next update will be on Saturday, and then we'll jump right into the night of the culture festival and the play! Hope you're excited! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update! Also, thank you to everyone who leaves kudos and comments! <3


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The culture festival has arrived and the time for the play has come, and with it, it's also time to execute the plan to steal back the relics. But will everything go according to plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again! I hope you will enjoy this update! ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me you can fin me on Twitter: @EFagerhag

The week passed by in a blur, what with everyone being so busy with all the preparations for the culture festival and all. Everyday, multiple times a day, the twenty students working together on the project would gather and practice or prepare. The one blessing was that Yuki and Momo were so experienced, since they were both in the drama club, they really helped a lot throughout the week.

Iori was just relieved that all his duties were backstage, meaning he didn’t have any lines or scenes to memorize, he only needed to know how all the machines and props would work, really. Tamaki was also taking it quite easy, even though he would be on the stage in almost every scene, he didn’t have any lines, seeing as he had only been given the role of living props. (Like a cactus or one half of a camel.) 

Riku and Nagi had been a lot busier though, seeing as they both had roles as main characters, Riku was Sara and Nagi would be playing Watanabe Ritsu. Or they would be playing their counterparts at least, seeing as Riku had changed all of the names. 

Even though the week had been hectic, they felt like the level they were at was acceptable at the very least, considering how little time they had had to prepare it was quite impressive that they even had an original performance to put on. 

And so, it was now Friday afternoon, the culture festival had been going on all day, and right now, Riku and the others were gathered in auditorium where the play would take place, finishing the last of the preparations. 

They were all in costume and had finished the final rehearsal when they started letting the audience into the auditorium about half an hour before the play was supposed to start. Backstage, the atmosphere was both tense and filled with excitement. Everyone was nervous, and it showed, especially now that the ones who would watch them performe started piling in. 

Iori, Riku and Nagi sneaked up to the curtains and peeked through them, letting out a breath of relief upon seeing Tsukumo enter the room, since their entire plan relied on him actually being there. Tamaki was in the back, getting some last-minute changes done to his cactus costume. 

“Good.” Iori said. “If Tsukumo’s here now, that means we actually have a chance.” He stated. Riku and Nagi nodded in agreement. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Nagi asked Riku, who smiled and nodded in reply. “Yes, we really need to take this chance. I just have to be quick and careful, and everything should work out.” He said. 

“Do you remember the combination?” Iori asked in concern. “3357, right?” Riku said and Iori nodded. “Yes, let’s just hope I’m correct and that’s actually the combination.” He said. “What will you do if it’s wrong?” Nagi asked. Riku shrugged. “I’ll come up with something, but hopefully it won’t come to that.” He said. 

Iori then reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s upper arms, making the redhead turn to him in confusion. “Just make sure you’re careful, alright? Promise me.” He said seriously. Riku relaxed and gave Iori a reassuring smile. “I promise to be careful.” He said as seriously as he could muster. Iori nodded, still feeling worried, but Riku’s promised had put him a little bit at ease. 

Then, one of the other guys who were working on the play, one who lived in the other boarding house, came back from an errand while calling out for Nanase Riku. Riku frowned in confusion. He felt a bit bad, seeing as he still didn’t actually remember his name, but he walked up to him either way, asking what he wanted. 

The guy then held out a single white envelope for him. “I ran into someone in the hallway, they asked me to give you this.” He explained. Riku took the envelope and turned it around in his hands, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find a sender. “Who gave you this?” Riku asked the other boy with a frown, but he only received a shrug. 

“Honestly, I have no idea. Some guy wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a face mask. Looked kind of suspicious if you ask me, but to each their own I guess.” The guy answered before walking away. Riku turned back to Iori and Nagi, who had been watching the exchange. Tamaki, who seemed to have finished the changes to his cactus costume, had now also joined them. 

“Who is it from?” Iori asked intrigued. Riku shook his head. “I don’t know, there’s no sender… That’s why I asked who had given it to him in the first place.” Riku answered with a frown. “Well, open it! Maybe it’s a love letter.” Tamaki said, his expression smug and his voice taunting. Riku flushed but also rolled his eyes and tried to play it off as a ridiculous joke. 

Slowly, Riku opened the envelope, being careful not to rip the paper. “You’re opening it very delicately, do you really think it’s a love letter and is afraid to rip it?” Nagi asked, his voice teasing. Riku flushed even harder and Iori frowned, clearly not happy with the idea of it being a love letter. “Stop it! It’s not like that!” Riku exclaimed before he finished opening the package, pulling out a folded piece of white paper. 

Riku frowned. “D-14?” He read confusedly. “What?” Iori asked. Riku looked up at the raven-haired boy. “That’s what it says. D-14.” Riku said and showed them the note, and lo and behold, there was nothing but the letter D and the number 14 written on there. Iori frowned. “Is that all? There’s nothing more in the envelope?” He asked. 

Riku picked up the envelope again, eyes widening as he indeed saw a second note in there. However, his confusion only grew as he read it, or rather tried to read it. “I have no idea what this says.” He said, handing Iori the note. Iori looked at it and frowned. “It looks… Almost backwards? But that’s not quite right either…” He said. 

“Can I see it?” Nagi asked. Iori looked at Riku in question, silently asking if it was okay. Riku nodded and smiled, and so Nagi took the piece of paper. After a minute, he hummed in thought. “Could it perhaps be mirrored? That way, you should be able to read it by looking at it in a mirror.” He suggested. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, that’s it!” He exclaimed happily before taking the note back and running over to the nearest mirror in order to check it out, closely followed by Iori, Tamaki and Nagi. “Meet me tonight. Nine. Clearing in the woods.” Riku read out loud before frowning again. “Still no sender though…” He said, sounding a bit disappointed. 

“They clearly want to set up a meeting with you though… Are you going to go?” Nagi asked. “They asked to meet at nine, so that’s shortly after the play ends… I could go meet whoever sent it, but I’d like to know who it is first…” He said. “Maybe they did tell you who they were!” Iori soon exclaimed, as he had just had an epiphany. 

“What?” Riku asked. “How?” He then questioned. Iori took the first note from Riku then. “D-14, I think it could refer to a seat number here in the auditorium! Whoever sent you that message might be watching the play.” He explained. 

Riku gasped and then started running again, but now he ran away from the mirror and back to the curtains that separated the stage from the rest of the auditorium. He peeked through them and started counting the seats. “Row D is… there. And then it would be seat number 14… There!” Riku exclaimed as he found what he was looking for. 

In that seat sat someone wearing a hoodie, they weren’t wearing sunglasses or a facemask like the guy who had given Riku the message said, but they did have a bag with them, so those could be in there. Riku tried really hard to focus, but whoever sat there were looking down, so he couldn’t see his face clearly. Then, finally, the person looked up and Riku gasped in shock. 

“Tenn-nii…” He whispered. 

“Nanase-san? Do you see anything?” Iori asked from behind him, snapping Riku out of his stupor and making him turn around. Seeing Riku’s wide eyes and disbelieving expression made Iori a bit concerned. “What’s wrong? Did you find out who sits in seat D-14?” He asked adamantly. 

Riku nodded, but he looked spaced out. “It’s Tenn-nii.” He said, and that was when it fully sank in for Riku, who instead started smiling like an idiot. “It’s Tenn-nii! My brother is in the audience and he wants to meet up after the play!” He exclaimed. “No way…” Iori said in disbelief as he pushed past Riku to look for himself. 

“Wait, Iorin! I also want to see, move over!” Tamaki exclaimed in excitement as he tried to make room for himself too. “Me too! Me too!” Nagi agreed. They all soon spotted him. “You’re right, Rikkun! It’s really Tenten!” Tamaki said. “But how? Isn’t he supposed to be with Kujou Takamasa?” Iori questioned. 

“Maybe he sneaked out?” Nagi suggested. “I mean, that would explain why he was hiding behind sunglasses and a face mask.” He said. Riku nodded. “Yeah, if he’s really as important as the teachers are making him out to be, and if we’re right that it’s actually him they’re referring to, then I doubt Kujou Takamasa would let him leave the house unsupervised.” He said. 

Riku was exhilarated, but also still a bit confused. Did Tenn come here just to see him? Does that mean he already knew about Riku attending Yaotome academy? If so, did he find out before he was taken away, or had Kujou somehow found out and told him? How had he even managed to get away from Kujou? And what did he want to talk about? So many questions, but he had to wait until later that night for answers. 

Riku didn’t even have time to think about it for much longer, as Shimaoka entered the backstage area and clapped his hands, gaining everybody’s attention. “Well, we’re starting in just a minute, everyone, take your positions!” He announced. Yuki, who was in charge of narrating everything dressed as the Egyptian god Anubis, took his place at the front as the curtains opened. The play had started. 

“Egypt, 1323 BC. Our monarch Tutankhamun has just died, and sorrow sweeps our lands. Let no man enter and desecrate his sacred pyramid. For whoever shall do so, a horrid punishment awaits.” He said, loud and dramatic, before making his way off the stage. 

Next up was Riku’s scene, since he played Sara, or ‘Sana’ as he oh so creatively had renamed her in this play. He straightened out his dress and made sure his wig was on correctly before slowly walking onto the stage and into the spotlight. “My name is Sana, I am seven years old. The time has come, my story shall be told.” He started. 

The moment Riku paused, his eyes sought out Tenn’s in the crowd. The twins’ eyes met, and for a second, recognition washed over both their faces and Riku felt something overcome him, a certain calm he hadn’t felt since Tenn left, as if no matter what, he would be okay. Riku cleared his throat then, as he realized he had paused a bit too long, and people were really starting to stare. Then he continued on with the play, he couldn’t let Tenn distract him, he had to wait until later. 

“I feel only sorrow, like a bird without wings, my parents are leaving for the valley of the Kings.” He said. The scene kept going, first it was only Riku, then Nagi and Mitsuki came on, seeing as they played Watanabe Ritsu and Akiko. “We’re sorry, Sana, but we have to go now.” Nagi said, before both he and Mitsuki leaned in and placed a kiss each on Riku’s cheeks before saying their goodbyes and leaving the stage. 

Riku stayed on there for a minute, then he was joined by Yamato, who was playing “Tsukumo”. It was almost scary how convincing he looked in his suit, wearing a cold smile and holding a stuffed raven. “This house belongs to me now.” Yamato said before delivering a near perfect evil laugh, it even sent shivers down Riku’s spine. 

Yamato turned to Riku and glared. “It is ten o’clock, you know what that means, in ten minutes you shall be in your room and the I want absolute silence.” He said. Riku could hear Tsumugi stifle a laugh in the audience, she obviously recognized Yamato as Tsukumo and found it funny. “Yes, Sir.” Riku answered, which marked the end of the scene, and so he quickly made his way back to the others. 

Nagi and Tamaki were on next, amongst other people, so Iori followed Riku over to the door. “The first act is going to go on for about thirty minutes, then there’s going to be a twenty-minute break before the second act. You appear in the second scene of that, so you have maximum fifty minutes, but to be safe, try and be back in 45.” Iori said, handing Riku his jacket, which Riku simply threw on over his stage clothes, since he didn’t have any time to change. 

“I got it. Try to be back in 45 minutes, definitely not longer than fifty minutes though.” He said. “And the code?” Iori asked. “3357. Hopefully.” Riku answered and Iori nodded. “And please remember to be careful?” Riku smiled at Iori’s concern, and so, in order to try and appease him, Riku reached out and pulled his raven-haired friend into a hug. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” He said. 

Iori was a bit taken aback, but he soon relaxed and securely wrapped his own arms around Riku’s waist and buried his face in the crook between the other boy’s neck and shoulder, returning the embrace. When they pulled apart, Iori gave Riku one last concerned look. “I’ll see you back here later?” He said. 

Riku smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’ll be as quick and careful as I can. Thank you, Iori. For everything, the help and the concern. It makes me feel a lot better about what I have to do.” He said. Iori nodded. “Good luck.” He said finally. Riku turned around and started heading out the door. “See you later!” He called out before leaving Iori and the play behind. 

The play proceeded just as it should, though for every minute that passed, Iori’s nerves got worse and worse. He tried to distract himself from the unease he was feeling by focusing on the play, but his concern for Riku turned out to be distracting him from the very thing he was trying to use as a distraction. He couldn’t focus and very nearly messed up on multiple occasions. 

It was now time for the final scene of the first act and Riku still hadn’t returned. Nagi and Mitsuki were out on the stage, along with Tamaki and some other guy, they were playing a camel together. The ‘Watanabes’, aka Nagi and Mitsuki, had arrived in Egypt, the excavation had taken place and they were currently at the scene where they had to try and get the treasure out of the tomb. The two would have to split up and the scene would end with a heartfelt goodbye before the break between the first and the second act. 

Iori watched as they finished the scene, then looked out over the audience. Tsukumo looked mostly bored, Tsumugi was drying tears away because of the goodbye, which Iori wasn’t that surprised about, she tended to be quite driven by her emotions. Then Iori turned to where Tenn was sat. At first, he couldn’t quite believe that he was there, but after looking for a while, Iori couldn’t deny that it he recognized his former classmate. 

Iori wondered what he was doing there, and why he had sought out Riku. Not that he suspected that it was something bad, he had just had this sinking feeling that something either was wrong, or was going to go wrong that night, and with what they were doing, it made him feel even more nervous. 

As he was stood, thinking about various outcomes to tonight, the scene ended and Iori was pulled back to reality by the sound of applause and the curtains closing. Shimaoka then stood up and announced that they would now take a twenty-minute break before the second act. 

Tamaki and Nagi came to Iori the moment they were off the stage. “How did it go? Is Rikkun still in the house?” Tamaki asked. “Well,” Iori started. “He left just as he should, but he hasn’t come back yet, and I haven’t heard anything.” He explained. Nagi placed a hand on Iori’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “Relax, there’s still at least twenty minutes until his scene, there’s still time. Let’s put our trust in Riku, okay?” He suggested. 

Iori took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. Yeah, you’re right. I do trust him, there’s just so much that could go wrong, and if it does go wrong, it’s him who has to deal with it. Alone. I just wish I could have gone with him.” He said. “We know.” Nagi said. “We all wish that, but this was our best chance.” He continued. 

That’s when Shimaoka came up to them. “Have you guys seen Nanase-kun? I’d like to go through some things about the second act with him, since he’ll be appearing quite a lot, but I haven’t seen him since… his scene ended I think?” He said. Iori looked a bit flustered, almost panicked at that, so Nagi stepped in for him. “I believe he got a phone call from his mother. We’ll tell him you’re looking for him if we see him.” He said. 

Shimaoka nodded. “Please, do that. We don’t have time to waste on things like that, we have a play to finish!” He exclaimed dramatically, he was the drama teacher after all, before he walked away to take care of some other things. 

Nagi turned back to Tamaki and Iori. “Let’s just stay calm and hope he comes back soon.” He said. The other two nodded. “I’m going to go check on Tsukumo!” Tamaki exclaimed, wanting some sort of distraction. However, when he looked out, he didn’t find the distraction he was looking for. 

“Uhm, guys!” He called out, making Iori and Nagi come over to him. “We might have a problem.” Tamaki said, looking worried. “What?” Iori asked, once again looking really on edge. “It’s Tsukumo. He’s not in his seat! What if he went back to the house?” Tamaki told them. 

“What?!” Iori exclaimed before he too drew apart the curtains and looked out, only to see that Tsukumo’s seat was indeed empty. Iori drew back and turned to the other two. “No, no, no… What if he really did go back? What if he finds Nanase-san?” Iori asked. 

“We don’t know that!” Nagi exclaimed. “Yeah, Iorin! Maybe he just went to the bathroom!” Tamaki added and Nagi nodded. “But what if he didn’t?” Iori asked. “Well, maybe Riku already finished, he could be on his way back right now, in which case there’s nothing to worry about. For now, let’s just stay calm, okay?” Nagi said. 

Iori nodded, but he had a feeling that this might be where his assumption that something was going to go wrong came true. He started pacing back and forth with a frown on his face. Right now, Tsukumo could be on his way to Riku and there was nothing Iori could do to help. He could only pray that Riku would stay safe. 

Riku was making his way towards the house as quickly as he could, but he soon realized that running was a bad idea. With all the thoughts going through his head, it was both thoughts on what he was about to do and about Tenn, he was pretty overwhelmed as it was. He was worrying, and that together with going too fast made him feel out of breath a lot sooner than he would have liked. 

When he finally reached the house, he let out a sigh of relief. He entered and quickly made his way upstairs to Tsukumo’s office. Had it been any other time, he would have had to check to see if it was safe first, but everyone was at the play, so he at least didn’t have to worry about that. 

Once inside the office, Riku went straight for the safe and knelt down in front of it. He took a deep breath and pulled out the paper that he had received from Iori earlier with the combination on it, just in case. Riku pressed the top right button twice, the middle button once and the bottom left button once. “That’s 3357, which should be the combination.” Riku said, taking a second deep breath trying to calm his nerves. “Well, here goes nothing.” He said as he pressed the OK button. 

Nothing. No sound, no green light, no indication at all that it had been right. Riku tried the door, but it was just as stuck as before. “No, no, no, no!” He exclaimed. “This isn’t good…” Riku whispered to himself as he tried to enter the code again, maybe he had pressed the wrong button by mistake. However, he had no such luck, the combination they had was wrong. 

Riku sighed, there was no use being upset about it now, he still had time, so he could try to find a different combination for a few more minutes. It was still too early to give up, they wouldn’t get a better chance than this any time soon after all. Riku stood up and instead walked over to Tsukumo’s desk, thinking he may have the combination written down somewhere. 

He looked through all the documents on top of the desk first, but no combination, in fact, nothing looked odd at all. Riku decided to check the drawers next, so he opened the first one and started going through whatever books and documents were in there. He didn’t find any combination and was starting to get really stressed since time was running out. That was when his eye caught something. 

At the bottom of the drawer, something shone. Riku removed the last of the papers, revealing ten bronze disks. Riku didn’t actually know what they were, they looked sort of like slightly big coins with a weird pattern on top. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. All of the coin-like objects had names written on them, the names of the residents of Anubis House. 

Riku picked them all up. “Gaku, Tamaki, Yamato, Sougo, Ryuunosuke, Mitsuki, Iori, Nagi, Riku.” He started. Then, Riku picked up the final coin, wondering who it could be. “Tenn.” He read out loud. It was everyone who had lived in the house recently. Riku frowned. “What are these? They’re so much heavier than they look… And why do they have all of our names on them?” He asked. 

Riku didn’t really get a chance to observe them closer as he heard the front door to the house open. He stood up quickly and looked out, only to see Tsukumo taking off his coat in the entranceway. “Shit.” He exclaimed as he hurried to put the bronze coins and all of the documents back into the drawer and close it. Then he had to quickly duck behind the desk as Tsukumo was walking up the stairs. 

Riku felt like his heart was going to burst right out of his chest and his ears were ringing with how fast it was beating. Tsukumo entered the office and closed the door behind him, and as he started walking around the desk to the chair, Riku crawled around the opposite side, trying to stay out of his line of sight. 

When Tsukumo went straight for the safe in the back of the room, Riku dared peek out from behind the desk, and he was very glad he decided to do so. Riku could clearly see Tsukumo enter the combination, the real one this time. Iori had been close, but he had been wrong about which button Tsukumo pressed twice. It was first the top right once, the middle one twice and the bottom left once. The code was 3557! 

“All is as it should be.” Tsukumo whispered happily before closing the safe again and walking over to his desk, taking a seat in the chair. Riku held his breath and tried to make himself as tiny as possible, hoping and praying that Tsukumo wouldn’t notice him. 

Tsukumo had opened a book, but he didn’t even get a chance to start as the phone went off. Tsukumo sighed and answered. “Hello?” He said. There was a pause, then he spoke up again. “Yaotome, you’re going to have to slow down! What is the matter?” He asked. So it was the headmaster that had called. 

“Who did you say is in the audience?” Tsukumo then asked, abruptly standing up, almost knocking over his chair in the process, a shocked expression on his face. “This is our chance. We’ll make sure to take care of the target tonight, after the play.” He said before hanging up, grabbing is coat and exiting the room. 

Riku, who had crawled back to the other side of the desk as Tsukumo left, so as to avoid being seen. He stood up only once he heard the front door open and close again. Riku let out a sigh of relief. He had somehow avoided being found. But he was still nervous, after all, Tsukumo had to have been talking about his brother. “Tenn-nii, I’m coming.” Riku said determinedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger, sorry not sorry... I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter, which will pick up rigt where this one left off, so I hope you're excited! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! Thank you for leaving kudos and comments. <3


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku retrieves the relics from the safe and then has to hurry back in order to warn his brother about Tsukumo and the teachers. Meanwhile, Iori worries about Riku's safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! I'm really excited about this one, so I hope you will enjoy it as well! With that said, please go on and read it. ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me you can cotact me on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Tsukumo had left and Riku was safe, but that really had been way too close for comfort. He was so lucky Tsukumo hadn’t noticed him. Even though Riku was now alone again, he felt just as uneasy. Had they discovered Tenn in the audience? From the sound of that phone call Tsukumo had just received, it sure sounded like it. And what were they planning to do to him?

Riku knew he had to hurry back to the school, for multiple reasons. He had to check on Tenn, and somehow manage to warn him, but he was also running out of time if he wanted to be back before the second act started. However, he couldn’t leave just yet, there was one more thing he needed to do before he returned to the school. 

Riku turned around and knelt before the safe once more. If there was one good thing about Tsukumo having entered the office, it was that he had unknowingly given Riku the actual combination to his safe. Riku quickly entered the code, which he now knew was 3557, and then smiled and sighed in relief as there was a beeping sound and the door opened smoothly. 

Riku first picked up the relic he and Iori had found a while back, and then the second one that had already been in there. The second relic looked almost identical to the one hidden in the globe, only some of the decoration on it was different from the first one. Riku the quickly shoved the two relics into the pocket of his jacket, closed the safe and then hurriedly made his way out of the office again. 

He exited the house and then started making his way back to the school. He looked at the clock, the second act would start in only three minutes and he was supposed to be on in the second scene. He could only hope that he would make it back in time for his scene to start, even though he would be cutting it extremely close. 

The second act was just about to begin and Riku still hadn’t returned. Tsukumo had just entered the auditorium again, but that didn’t make Iori feel any better at all. What if he had gone back to the house and discovered Riku? Shouldn’t the redhead be back by now otherwise? Maybe Iori really should just skip out on what he had to do for the play and just run back to the house, just to make sure Riku was okay. 

Iori was pacing back and forth, he had basically given up on trying to help out backstage, he just couldn’t concentrate on anything. Nagi and Tamaki were also worried, but with the situation as it was now, they were almost just as worried about Iori as they were about Riku. Neither of them had ever seen him so on edge, and even Mitsuki, who must be pretty used to dealing with Iori by now, had noticed something was wrong, but had no idea what to do about it. 

Iori sighed loudly and dramatically before stopping and staring right at Nagi and Tamaki. “That’s it, I can’t take this anymore.” He said before he turned around and started heading for the exit. Tamaki jogged up to him and grabbed his wrist. “Woah! What are you doing?” He asked. Iori glared at him. “I’m going back to the house. This was too risky! I should have just gone with him from the start!” He exclaimed. 

“That would have been a bad idea.” Nagi said. “It’s less suspicious if it’s only him, besides, we don’t even know if Tsukumo went back to the house, he could have gone somewhere else. If he found Riku, I doubt he would have come back here to finish watching the play, so let’s just calm down.” He then added, hoping it would help Iori relax a bit. 

It did not. “No! I’m done with trying to calm down! The second act starts in one minute, and Nanase-san is still not back! Something must have happened! I’m not going to stand here, helping to make sure some stupid school play goes as planned when he might be hurt or in danger or packing his bags to go home because he was found!” Iori replied, almost yelling his answer at Nagi. They were lucky no one seemed to be paying attention to them. 

“It’s too late to go now! Tsukumo’s already back, and he was the biggest threat. If something went wrong, it’s already over. The best thing we can do now is wait and hope everything went according to plan, and then, once this play is over, if Riku still hasn’t return we’ll go find out what happened.” Nagi tried to reason. 

Iori just sighed and impatiently stamped on the ground. “Why are you so worked up Iorin? I don’t want anything to happen to Rikkun either, but we promised to wait here for him. We promised to trust him! Don’t you trust Rikkun?” Tamaki asked. 

Iori frowned. “Of course, I trust him! I trust him! I really do! I just…” He tried to explain, but he had trouble finding the right words. “I can’t just wait here and do nothing when something might be happening to him right now! I don't care about this stupid play, I never did. Nanase-san and the treasure are much more important!” Iori tried, but somehow he felt like there was something else, just waiting to escape him. 

Tamaki looked a bit sad, he understood Iori’s worries, he truly did. But he had decided to put his trust in Riku that night, worrying could come later. “But why can’t you just wait a little more?” Tamaki persistently asked. 

Iori snapped, he turned and looked up at Tamaki, his grey eyes meeting the blue ones of his friend with intensity. “Because I think I’m falling in love with him!” Iori exclaimed. 

Tamaki and Nagi both turn silent at that, just staring at Iori. They would be lying if they said they hadn’t suspected something along those lines were going on, but they hadn’t quite expected how serious Iori had gotten. They also hadn’t expected such a dramatic exclamation. 

Iori was panting hard as he let what just happened register, and as realization hit him, his eyes widened, and he felt his face heat up. He opened his mouth to explain himself, but found that no words came out. 

As all three stood there, staring at each other without saying anything, Shimaoka came up to them. “Rokuya-kun, Yotsuba-kun, you need to get to the stage now! The second act is starting! Also, have you still not found Nanase-kun? He’s on in about three minutes!” The drama teacher said. 

“We’ll be right there, Shimaoka-sensei.” Nagi said, breaking the silence. The older man huffed and walked away, muttering under his breath as he did. He must be really stressed as well. “Iori, I understand why you want to go, I really do, but just hang on for a while longer, we’ll all go together once the play ends if Riku hasn’t returned by then. We’re all in this together, so we’ll work it out that way too. All of us, together.” He said. 

Iori turned to look at Nagi, his expression now one of guilt. “And Iorin…” Tamaki then said, gaining Iori’s attention. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or ashamed about liking Rikkun. We basically knew anyway!” Tamaki said with a grin, making Iori flush brighter than before. “If you say a word about that to anyone, I will-” Iori started, but was interrupted by Tamaki’s laugh and a pat on the shoulder. 

“I know! We won’t tell Rikkun you like him, so don’t worry!” He said with a grin. Then Tamaki turned to Nagi and the two said in unison, “But you two would look adorable together!” 

Iori huffed and pouted angrily. “Just go already! You need to be on stage!” He said, listening to the two’s chuckles as they walked away. Iori sighed, it was the first time he had admitted his feelings to anyone, including himself. He had suspected this, but this was the first time he had confirmed what his feelings truly were. 

The curtains opened and the play resumed where it had left off. Nagi and Mitsuki had reunited and were now being cursed by an Egyptian god (Momo) before they were set to return back to Japan. 

Iori was still really worried, and more stressed than ever, but he also felt some sort of calm. For the first time that evening, he felt like he could actually think clearly. He knew that he would have to do something if Riku didn’t return in the next few minutes, but before his mind had just been buzzing with all the different things running through it. Now, at least, he could form coherent sentences and judge whether or not an idea was good. 

However, his attention shifted again as the door to the backstage-area swung open and in came an out of breath Riku, with tousled hair and red cheeks. Iori dropped what he was holding, stopped caring about his duties with the play and rushed over to the doors and threw his arms around Riku’s torso, the momentum of the collision almost lifting the redhead off his feet. 

“I-Iori… I ca- I can’t breathe…” Riku managed to get out, making Iori let go of him and apologize profoundly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I just… I was really worried, you took so long and then we saw Tsukumo leave and we didn’t know if anything happened and-” Iori started, but Riku interrupted him. “Iori!” He called out. 

Iori stopped talking, took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. “Right, sorry, that was overwhelming… Are you okay?” He instead asked. Riku smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, a bit shaken, but fine.” He said. Riku was about to explain further when Shimaoka seemed to spot him. 

“Nanase-kun!” Their drama teacher exclaimed, making both Iori and Riku turn to him. “Where have you been?! You’re on in just a minute! Do you have any idea how much I’ve looked for you?” He asked. “I-” Riku started, but Shimaoka didn’t let him finish his explanation. “No time! Go get ready, you’re supposed to be up on the stage in less than one minute!” Shimaoka said and Riku nodded. 

Riku took of his jacket and handed it to Iori before he started to leave, but before he got far, Iori had grabbed his hand. “Wait! How did it go?” He asked. “I’ll tell you later.” Riku said and started walking away. However, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Left pocket.” He exclaimed before running off, making Iori furrow his eyebrows in confusion. 

Iori then reached his hand into the left pocket on Riku’s jacket and pulled out what was inside. Iori started grinning as he saw the two relics that had been in Tsukumo’s safe. Riku had done it, he had gotten the relics back. Despite Iori’s worries, Riku had managed to pull it off. 

Iori walked back to his position and concentrated on the play, a task that was very easy now that he wasn’t nearly as distracted. He looked at Riku as he walked out onto the stage and delivered his lines, not perfectly, but definitely good enough considering what had just happened. It took a while, but finally there was a scene where neither Riku, Tamaki or Nagi had to participate. The boys could finally gather and discuss what had happened. 

“Rikkun, we’re so glad you’re okay! We were really worried, especially Iorin, you should have seen him pacing back and forth.” Tamaki said with a grin. Iori’s face flushed in embarrassment and he stepped on Tamaki’s foot, making the blue-haired boy shut up. Tamaki winced and Nagi took over for him. “Riku, how did it go?” He asked, but when Riku didn’t answer, Nagi frowned. The redhead’s cheeks were tinted pink and he was staring at Iori. Perhaps Tamaki’s comment had gotten to him. 

Nagi smirked but decided to leave it alone for tonight, they had more important things to discuss after all. “Riku.” Nagi repeated, placing a hand on his roommate’s shoulder, thus snapping him out of his stupor. “What? Uhm, I’m sorry, what did you say?” He asked, Nagi could see him getting flustered but he didn’t comment on it, instead he just kept going. 

“I asked how it went. Did you run into any trouble? Did you succeed?” Nagi asked. Riku smiled and nodded. “I got them, they’re in the pocket of my jacket right now.” He said and Iori nodded in agreement. “But I did also run into some trouble though…” Riku admitted. 

“What? Are you okay? Was it Tsukumo?” Iori asked quickly. “Well, it was actually multiple things, so just let me explain.” Riku said. Iori, Nagi and Tamaki all nodded. Riku took a deep breath before he started explaining. “First of all, the combination was wrong, so I started looking around the office to see if Tsukumo had it written down anywhere.” He started. 

“I didn’t find the combination, but I found something else. Tsukumo had these weird… coins? They looked like they were made of copper or bronze or something, and they had all of our names on them. All of us who live in Anubis House, including my brother, which makes it ten coins. They were also strangely heavy? I don’t know what they were…” Riku said. 

Iori frowned. “We could always go back and look at those some other time, they could be completely irrelevant… But let’s not write it off completely, we’ll keep it in mind, but I don’t consider it a priority.” He commented. Riku nodded. “Yeah, I guess that sounds good.” He said. “What happened then, Rikkun?” Tamaki hurriedly asked, eager to hear what had gone down at the house. 

“Well,” Riku started. “That’s when Tsukumo came back.” He said. “I knew it!” Iori exclaimed. “We saw him leave, and I told you he might go back to the house!” He said, turning to Nagi and Tamaki, who now looked a bit guilty. “Did he catch you?” Nagi asked Riku worriedly. 

Riku shook his head. “No, I somehow managed to hide on the other side of the desk, but it was way too close. I thought I was going to have a heart attack or something! I mean, it was fine in the end, and him coming back is also why I managed to get the code to the safe, so it wasn’t all bad. But still, it really scared me.” He explained. 

Iori put a hand on Riku’s shoulder and gave him a concerned look. “Are you okay?” He asked. Riku smiled and nodded. “Yes, now at least.” He said before continuing. “Tsukumo opened the safe with the code 3557, so you had the right numbers, Iori, you were just mistaken on which button he pressed twice.” Riku said, giving Iori a kind smile. 

Iori sighed. “So that’s what it was…” He said, clearly feeling a bit bad about having gotten it wrong. So much trouble could have been avoided if he had only gotten it right from the start. “One more thing.” Riku said, pulling Iori out of his thoughts. “Before he left, Tsukumo got a phone call that made him hurry back. I think they realized my brother’s in the audience, and they’re going to do something after the play. We need to warn him.” Riku said seriously. 

“Well, if he is one thing they need in order to ‘tip the scales’ or whatever, it makes sense they’d try and do something since he’s here, right?” Tamaki asked. “Yes, but wouldn’t that be bad?” Riku asked in concern. “Honestly? The teachers were worried about Kujou, and we really don’t know if Kujou or the teachers are the better option. I do believe we should warn him, but I don’t see how we can do that before the end of the play.” Nagi said. 

“Speaking of the play.” Iori said. “Nagi, Riku, you’re supposed to be back on stage in a minute, it’s soon time for the final!” He said. Nagi and Riku nodded and ran off, followed by Tamaki who would be on a bit after them. Iori could see the tension in Riku’s back as he left, he must be really worried about Tenn. Still, they could do nothing but wait for now. 

The final scene started and passed, Iori had to admit that Riku had done a really good job writing this play, especially with the limited time he had. He could also hear Tsumugi sobbing in the audience as the final scene came to a close, at least before the only thing that could be heard was the applause that filled the room. 

Shimaoka ushered all the twenty students that had been a part of the play, whether as an actor or helping out backstage, up onto the scene. The curtains that had closed at the end opened again and the spotlight shone on all of them as the audience gave a second round of applause. Iori looked over at Riku and Riku met his gaze. The redhead smiled, but Iori could still see the worry behind his expression. 

Iori then watched as Riku turned to the audience, or rather, a single member of the audience. Then he tensed, Iori saw Riku’s back and shoulders stiffen and his expression change to one of worry. Iori also looked out over the people then, only to spot Tsukumo and the headmaster moving closer to where Tenn was, which was most definitely the cause of Riku’s concern. 

Tenn hadn’t noticed them yet, judging by how relaxed he still looked, and it seemed Riku was also concerned about that. Running out of ideas, Riku did the only thing he could think of. He cupped his hands around his mouth to make the sound travel further and then he yelled. “Tenn-nii, watch out!” 

The room turned silent and Iori could see the moment Tenn spotted Tsukumo and the headmaster before he turned around and made a run for it. As Tenn ran, Riku also jumped down from the stage, pushed his way past all of the confused people and followed his brother. “Nanase-san!” Iori exclaimed and jumped down as well, intending to follow. He in turn, was followed by Nagi and Tamaki. 

Everyone around them was confused about what was going on, but Iori only had one thought on his mind. Find and catch up to Riku, which in turn should take him to Tenn as well, seeing as that was definitely the only thing on Riku’s mind. Iori just hoped nothing could happen before he caught up to them. 

Tenn was running through the hallways of his old school, though he hadn’t been gone for very long, it felt like so much was different. Just like he had planned, he had managed to sneak out once Takamasa had left, and now he was here. He had wanted to be discreet, Takamasa couldn’t find out what he had done after all, which was why he had chosen to only talk to Riku, even though he wanted to see his friends again as well. 

So, when Riku had yelled out to him to watch out, he had first been a bit upset, a bit worried that his cover was blown. But when he saw Tsukumo and the headmaster walking towards him, he understood. He knew they were working with Takamasa from a few overheard phone calls, but he had yet to figure what exactly they were doing, and why they needed him. 

Since Riku told him to watch out, did that mean that Riku knew about what was going on? Why else would he be worried by Tsukumo and the headmaster finding him? Tenn was grateful for the warning, but it also worried him. How involved was Riku in whatever this was? Was he in danger? Tenn now felt like he needed to talk to him even more than before. 

Tenn could hear footsteps behind him, but he wasn’t sure who they belonged to, so he chose to just keep running. When he saw that one of the doors to a classroom stood open, he quickly ducked inside and closed the door behind him before hiding behind the teacher’s desk. He heard footsteps and voices outside and reached the conclusion that they belonged to Tsukumo and Sousuke. Good thing he didn’t stop running then. 

When he heard them pass by without checking the classroom, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to lose them. Tenn stood up then, thinking the coast was clear, but froze immediately as he heard the door to the classroom open while he had his back turned to it. He turned around quickly, eyes widening as he saw Kujou Takamasa standing in the opening. “Father…” Tenn said, stiffening up in unease. 

Takamasa sighed. “Oh Tenn… Why did you come here? Why did you defy me?” He asked. He didn’t sound angry, which was a little bit of a relief, but he did sound very disappointed, which was almost worse. “I didn’t mean to-” Tenn started but was interrupted by Takamasa loudly slamming the door shut behind him. 

Takamasa slowly started walking up to Tenn, but for every step he took, Tenn responded with taking one of his own away from the older man. “Haven’t I given you everything? You have a good education, we live in nice and big home, you can have basically anything you want, so why, when I ask you to do one thing for me, do you not listen?” Takamasa asked. 

A shiver went down Tenn’s spine, Takamasa’s eyes were cold, it was the first time Tenn had seen him like that, the first time the older man had actually scared him. “I’m really sorry, I just wanted to-” Tenn started to explain again, but once more Takamasa didn’t allow him. “You wanted to see your brother, I know. I should have never told you he was here, that was my mistake.” He said. 

Tenn knew he was in no position to argue, but he had come too far to just give up now. “If I could just have five minutes, no, even one minute would be fine! I just want to know if he’s doing okay, and I want to tell him I’m okay too.” Tenn said. 

Takamasa sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry Tenn, that is one of the few things I can’t give to you. You defied me, but I still need your help. We are going to go back home now, and if I have to lock you in your room, I will. I don’t want to, but if there’s a risk of this incident repeating itself, I will not hesitate to take away the little freedom you have right now.” He said harshly. 

“You can’t do that! That’s illegal!” Tenn exclaimed in shock. “You leave me no choice!” Takamasa yelled back. “I told you that you can do whatever you want with your life, but not until you help me get what I want, is that understood? I am your father, and you will listen to me.” He added. 

Tenn shook his head. “You are my guardian, but you’re not my father. Not really. And keeping me locked up against my will is could be considered kidnapping, even if you’re my legal guardian. It’s still illegal.” He argued. Takamasa chuckled and shook his head. “But you are going to do as I say either way.” He said. 

Tenn gulped. “Why do you think that? I’ll go if I can see Riku first, but otherwise I’ll resist you with all I’ve got.” He stood his ground. Tenn had come there to talk to Riku, and he didn’t want to leave without doing just that. “No, you will come with me willingly without seeing anyone. And you’ll do this for the same reason you want to stay. For your brother. If you don’t come with me now, well, let’s just say that a lot of things could happen to someone like your brother.” Takamasa said. 

“You’re threatening me.” Tenn stated with a frown. "You're threatening him just to get to me!" He then continued. “You leave me no choice.” Takamasa said. “You keep saying that, but you always have a choice!” Tenn argued. “Enough!” Takamasa yelled. “You and I are leaving now or I’ll make sure you never see your precious baby brother again, is that understood?” He continued, grabbing ahold of Tenn’s upper right arm. 

Ten flinched, but that was also when he noticed something. There was a window into the hallway, and in that window, Tenn spotted Riku. Their eyes met, and Tenn could see the worry, the desperation, the hurt in his brother’s gaze. Tenn knew he was the cause for those emotions, and it hurt. He wanted to be out there, to take his brother in his arms, to protect him and make everything better. 

But it was because he wanted that so bad that Riku was in danger now. It was because of that that he knew he couldn’t allow himself to do what he wanted. “I understand.” Tenn said, his eyes not leaving Riku’s for a second. “I’ll go back with you, but you can’t do anything to him.” He said. 

Takamasa nodded. “I knew you’d come back to your senses eventually. Let’s go home, Tenn.” He said. Tenn nodded. “Yes, father…” Tenn said, though the word felt different now than it did before. This was the first time in years he had almost felt disgusted calling the older man father. He felt like he was betraying something. 

With one last glance in Riku’s direction, Tenn mouthed the words, “I’m sorry” to his brother. He didn’t know if he would see him again, but if he just did what Takamasa wanted for now, that possibility might still exist. And Tenn would fight for it, even if it meant he had to suffer. He just hoped Riku could forgive him for all the pain he put him through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaghh! A lot happened this chapter! Iori finally admitted he's falling in love! (though we all knew already ;) ) And I'm so sorry Riku and Tenn... The next chapter will be up on Saturday and pick up right where this left off, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading and thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3<3


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events after the play from Riku's POV followed by the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, I'm back with the next chapter! Before you get to it, I'd like to apologize for what is about to happen... Now enjoy! ;) If you have any questions or want to talk to me, contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Once Riku had managed to squeeze his way out from the crowd in the auditorium, he had immediately run off in the direction he thought he saw the others going. The first thing he found was Tsukumo and Sousuke arguing, it seemed like they had lost Tenn, much to Riku’s relief. Still, Riku wanted to find his brother, though he now had no idea where to look. He could go to the clearing in the woods, where Tenn had wanted to meet, or he could keep looking around the school.

Riku decided that if the teachers and Tsukumo had lost him, it was likely that Tenn had gotten away, and thus their meeting was still on. He turned around and started making his way to the school’s entrance. However, when he passed a supposedly empty classroom on his way back, he heard raised voices and decided to check out what was going on inside. 

Riku’s eyes widened as he saw two people inside, both of them he recognized. One was his brother, Tenn, but the other was Kujou Takamasa. It looked like they were arguing and Riku really wanted to go inside. Then something happened. Riku’s eyes met Tenn’s through the window and the connection was immediate. Riku could tell that something was wrong, but he could also feel Tenn’s silent warning. It was like he was yelling for Riku to stay where he was, that it wasn’t safe to go in. 

Riku started choking up a bit, even without saying anything, he could see that Tenn was worried, that he didn’t want to leave, but did anyway. He saw the apology and he could feel his heart breaking. Tenn didn’t want to leave, Tenn wanted to see him and Kujou Takamasa was stopping him from doing so. But most importantly, Tenn still cared about him. 

Still, Riku had a feeling there was nothing he could do on his own right now, so when Kujou opened the door and he and Tenn walked away, Riku made sure to stay hidden. Once they were gone, he slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor, drew his legs up, hugged them close to his chest and cried. It was loud and raw and full of feeling and Riku didn’t care. It felt like that night five years ago all over again, watching Kujou take Tenn away and not having the courage or strength to do anything about it. 

Everything felt cold and empty and dark. Riku’s chest hurt and he slowly registered that he probably wasn’t getting enough air. A few seconds later, Riku could vaguely hear someone calling out to him. He recognized the voice but all sounds around him sounded muted, almost like he was under water. It was only when he saw Iori’s panic stricken face in front of him that he connected the voice to the person. 

“Nanase-san! Nanase-san!” Iori yelled out, but Riku didn’t respond. Or rather, he couldn’t respond. He opened his mouth, but his throat burned, and he barely got any air. He was aware that he was practically drowning in his own tears and he probably looked just as big of a mess as he felt. Riku noticed then that he and Iori were quickly joined by others, but it didn’t matter. None of them mattered, because they weren’t who he wanted to see. They weren’t Tenn. 

The pain in his chest grew, partly from the lack of air, but it was also aching for the loss of his brother. Again. Riku knew that he might be overreacting, but he couldn’t stop it. Iori’s concern and presence offered little comfort, but only insignificant amounts. Riku dully noted that Iori had picked up his phone. Was he calling an ambulance? Was it really that bad? Riku wanted to reassure him that he would be fine, even though he didn’t feel like it, but instead he closed his eyes and the world turned black. 

The next time Riku opened his eyes he was staring up at a white ceiling. He took a deep, albeit shaky breath and blinked a few times, getting used to the bright lights. He could hear the telltale beeping of machines he knew too well and smell the scent of cleaning detergents and anesthesia. Riku realized he was in a hospital. 

Riku turned his head around and saw two people standing by the door, talking with quiet voices to somebody Riku assumed was a nurse or a doctor. Riku recognized them both, not counting the nurse. It was Tsumugi and Iori. Riku tried to recall what had happened and quickly connected the dots. The play, seeing his brother and then the attack. 

Riku felt a stab of pain in his chest, but this time he remained calm. He knew he couldn’t get hung up on that, besides, he knew Tenn didn’t hate him now, which meant that as long as he was out there, they could find their way back to each other. He would find a way to get his brother back, and that thought helped a lot. He would prove to himself that he wasn’t the same weak child as he was the first time Tenn left. 

Riku figured he should probably let the others know he was awake and so he tried to call out to Iori. However, when he tried, Riku’s throat was so dry that he just ended up coughing instead. This did have the desired effect though, as they all turned around and noticed that he had woken up. 

The first one by his side was the nurse. “Help me sit him up.” The nurse, a middle-aged woman with green eyes and brown hair in a braid, told the other two. Iori reached out and together with the nurse he helped Riku sit up in the bed. The nurse then handed Riku a glass of water for his sore throat as Iori watched in concern. 

Riku gulped down the water and handed the glass back to the nurse. “Thank you.” He said, though his voice was still a bit hoarse. The nurse smiled. “No problem.” She said before putting the glass away and then turning back to Riku with a smile. “My name is Ichinose Mami and I’m a nurse here at this hospital. I am very glad to see that you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Mami asked. 

“My throat is a bit sore, but it’s not too bad. I’m okay.” Riku said. Mami gave him a smile. “I see, that’s good to hear. Do you remember what happened?” She asked. Riku nodded and frowned. “Okay.” Mami said. 

“It seems you had an attack caused by stress or some upsetting event, you passed out from lack of oxygen, but you’re recovering just as you should and will be able to leave the hospital in a few hours.” Mami explained and Riku nodded in understanding, glad he wouldn’t have to spend very long in the hospital. “Have you been feeling stressed lately?” The nurse then asked. 

Riku nodded. “I guess… We did a school play for our culture festival and I wrote the script and had a main role. I suppose I was feeling a bit stressed by that.” He explained. Riku didn’t mentioned anything about the breaking and entering into Tsukumo’s office, the guilt that still bothered him about with happened with Sougo or the fact that he had just lost his brother. Again. 

“Well, then I don’t think there’s anything for us to worry about. I’ll still go and get a doctor so that we can do a few tests and then discharge you when you’ve recovered some of that strength, yeah?” Mami suggested. Riku smiled and nodded, already used to the procedure and glad it wouldn’t be too long before he could leave. 

Mami left and Tsumugi announced that she would go and buy them all some drinks, thus leaving Riku and Iori alone in the room. Once they were gone, Iori sat down in the chair at Riku’s bedside and looked over at the redhead in concern. “Are you really okay?” He asked quietly. Riku nodded and smiled sadly up at him. He must have really worried Iori. 

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of worse attacks, so this is nothing. Sometimes I had to stay in the hospital for weeks on end so I’m just glad that I’ll be allowed to leave later today.” Riku started. “How long was I out?” He then asked. “About ten hours.” Iori answered. It had almost been nine when he had collapsed, so it must be around seven in the morning by now. Riku hoped they could leave by noon. 

“What happened back then? I mean, I get that you had an attack because of your asthma, and while I’ve seen it bothering you before, I’ve never seen you having that bad of an attack before…” Iori said. Riku shrugged. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I had one so bad I passed out, but it’s happened a few times in the past. Did I ever tell you about that one time I almost died? Actually, I almost died twice because of my asthma, but who’s counting, right?” Riku said with a smile and Iori just stared at him in disbelief. 

“Sorry, that was maybe a bit inappropriate.” Riku admitted. “Maybe a bit, yeah.” Iori said before he sighed. “You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were dying.” Iori admitted and Riku felt a bit bad. “I’m sorry. I just… When something triggers an attack, I tend to have a hard time calming down by myself.” He explained. 

“What did trigger it? The attack that is.” Iori asked in concern. Riku smiled sadly. “My brother…” He answered. Iori’s eyes widened. “Did you talk to him?” He asked, sounding shocked. Riku chuckled and shook his head. “Not really. I saw him through a window, he was talking to Kujou-san. He looked worried and angry and almost scared. Our eyes met and it was like he was silently begging me to stay out of it. That it wasn’t safe.” Riku tried to explain. 

Iori listened and nodded, but he still looked a bit confused. “I don’t know.” Riku admitted then. “Maybe it was some weird twin telepathy, but even though we didn’t actually talk, I think I got what he wanted to say. But at least he still worries… I was scared that he hated me, but I’m starting to think he might not.” Riku said. 

Iori smiled. “That’s good isn’t it?” He said. Riku smiled and nodded. “It is… I’m glad about that part, but then… They just left. And I hid, and then I felt bad about it, and then I remembered him leaving me five years ago and I just felt lonely and my chest was hurting and before I knew it, I couldn’t breathe.” Riku said. 

Iori nodded and reached out, taking ahold of Riku’s hand. “I’m sorry you had to feel that. I should have hurried more, I should have found you.” The raven-haired boy said but Riku only shook his head. “No, you can’t think like that. It was in no way your fault. It was all me, and I’m glad you’re here now. I just recalled some bad memories and it set me off, it’s nothing you did.” Riku said. 

Iori nodded, but he still looked a bit down. “Please don’t blame yourself. I already feel a lot better. And, I’m very motivated right now to keep on going. I am going to find this treasure, find out how my brother is connected to it all, and then get him back.” Riku said with a smile as he squeezed Iori’s hand in his own. 

Iori smiled then, the first genuine smile since Riku had woken up. Riku returned it. Soon after that, Tsumugi and Mami came back, and the had a doctor in tow. The doctor, who was an older man, asked Riku a few questions and did some tests before he concluded that he was good to go home as long as he took it a bit easy and relaxed properly for the next few days. Riku nodded and thanked him before he, Tsumugi and Iori finally left the hospital and started heading back to the house. 

The moment Riku stepped inside the house along with Iori and Tsumugi, he was swept off of his feet and spun around in the air by Nagi. “You’re back!” He exclaimed happily. Riku chuckled as he was put down. “I’m back!” He responded while smiling up at his roommate. “Are you okay? We were all worried about you?” Sougo asked and that was when Riku noticed that all the residents at Anubis House were there, presumably waiting for him. 

Riku gave them all a reassuring smile and nodded. “Yes, I’m okay now. It was just a lot of stress building up and then I guess I finally snapped. I’ll be perfectly fine after some rest.” He explained. Nagi brightened up. “Does that mean you’ll watch anime with me all weekend?” He asked excitedly. 

Riku laughed along with the others, except for Iori, Mitsuki and Yamato, who all shook their heads and sighed at Nagi’s antics. “Well,” Riku started. “Seeing as I’m supposed to stay in bed and we’re sharing a room, I don’t think I’ll have much of a choice.” He answered, making Nagi smile brighter. “I’ll go set it all up!” He exclaimed before running off. 

“Do you need any help getting back upstairs?” Iori asked Riku in concern. Riku shook his head. “I’m asthmatic, not disabled. I think I can get up the stairs by myself. Thanks for the offer though.” He said. Iori nodded, but he still followed closely behind Riku as the redhead started heading towards his room. 

“Hey, wait for me!” Tamaki soon exclaimed and followed them as well. Once the four of them were gathered in Nagi and Riku’s room, Riku proceeded to explain what had happened to Tamaki and Nagi. The two listened but didn’t really get a chance to respond as there was a knock on the door. 

Nagi opened it, only to see Mitsuki, Yamato, Sougo, Ryuu and Gaku standing on the other side. “What’s up? Did you guys need something?” He asked with his trademark smile on his face. Gaku then pushed his way past the other people, including Nagi, that stood in the door opening and walked up to Riku, a serious expression on his face. 

“I’m sorry if this isn’t a good time, what with you just having gotten back from the hospital and all, so if it get’s difficult, tell us and we’ll leave. But I don’t want to jump to conclusions and be an ass like I was when you first got here, so I decided to just ask you directly.” Gaku started. Riku frowned but nodded. Everyone in the room were pretty tense, it seems this might be something serious. 

“After the play,” Gaku started. “You yelled out, ‘Tenn-nii, watch out’, after which you followed someone wearing a hood who was chased by the teachers out of the room.” He stated. Riku’s eyes widened as he understood what they wanted to talk about. “Was this ‘Tenn-nii’ by any chance Kujou Tenn? Our friend who left the house, that is. And if so, do you know him? Do you know why he left?” Gaku asked. 

Riku opened his mouth but he didn’t know where to start. This was probably a good opportunity to tell them all about his relation to Tenn, but Riku was still scared. It felt personal and he hadn’t really managed to prepare himself. But if he lied now, it would definitely backfire. Riku would tell them the truth. He didn’t get much of a chance to though, as Iori answered for him. 

“This again? Can’t you just let it go? At least for now, he just got back from the hospital.” Iori said. Gaku frowned. “I didn’t ask you, did I? And if he doesn’t want to answer, he can just say so, I’ll leave, but I came here asking because I didn’t want to make my own assumptions.” Gaku explained further. 

Iori was about to keep arguing, but Riku beat him to it. “It’s fine, Iori!” He said before turning back to Gaku. “And thank you for coming to me instead of just deciding what the deal with that was on your own. I guess I haven’t told you exactly everything as it was… But I’ll explain now, and don’t worry about my condition, I’ll be fine.” He said, that last part was more for Iori’s sake than the others’, seeing as he was a bit on edge. 

Gaku nodded and then Riku started explaining. “You were right, the person in the audience last night was Kujou Tenn. And I lied when I said I had no connection to him, in fact, I’d like to believe I know him pretty well. Or rather, knew him pretty well.” Riku started before trailing off. 

“Okay, care to explain further?” Gaku asked after Riku had been silent for a while. Riku blinked and then gave the others an apologetic smile as he realized he had been spacing out. “Right, sorry.” Riku started, then he took a deep breath in preparation for telling them. “Kujou Tenn is my older twin brother, and the reason why I applied for a scholarship to this school in the first place.” He said. 

Gaku’s mouth hung open and he seemed to be at a loss for words, the others who stood in the back had similar expressions. “Wait, but that’s… Tenn didn’t have a brother.” Gaku said. “At least he never mentioned one.” Ryuu added. “Uhm, that’s… We are twins, but a lot of things happened in the past and I haven’t seen or spoken to him for five years. Until last night that is.” Riku said. 

“What do you mean?” Mitsuki asked. Riku gulped. “My parents got into some pretty bad debts about five years ago, and my asthma cost them a lot in health insurance and hospital fees. But then, one day, a man came to us and offered to pay off their entire debt on one condition. He asked that in exchange for paying off their debts, he would take full custody of their first born.” Riku started explaining. 

“At first my parents didn’t want to, but it just got worse. We were getting evicted from our apartment, and then I got hospitalized again and it was when they got that bill that they realized that they couldn’t go on like that. They talked to my brother, and he agreed that it would be for the best. That night, Tenn-nii left with that man, with Kujou Takamasa, and I haven’t seen him or talked to him since then.” Riku finished with a shaky breath. 

Everyone was silent, Nagi had taken a seat beside Riku on the bed and was now rubbing his back in comforting circles, Iori had taken his hand in his own and Tamaki gave him a sympathetic smile. Nobody else really knew how to react at the shocking news. 

“About one year ago,” Riku started again. “I learned that Tenn-nii was a student at Yaotome Academy. I wanted to see him again, but I knew mom and dad didn’t have enough money to pay for tuition here, even though they are a lot better off now. So, I applied for a scholarship.” He said. 

“You wanted to go to this school to find your brother?” Ryuu asked. Riku nodded. “Then those issues with my application and the paperwork happened, which was why I was so late. And then when I finally got here, I found out he had just left.” Riku said before he turned to meet Gaku’s confused gaze. 

“I know I lied when I told you I didn’t have any connection to Kujou Tenn, and I’m sorry for that. I promise, I knew nothing about why he left so suddenly, I was just as surprised by his sudden departure as you were. But I was scared that you were right, that I was the reason why he left. I thought maybe he hated me, that he had somehow learnt I was going to start here and that’s why he left. That’s why I didn’t tell you the truth.” Riku finished, his eyes wet with unshed tears. 

Gaku sighed and nodded. “Okay, I really don’t know what to say to that…” He said. Riku smiled. “It’s okay, it’s a complicated situation.” He answered. “What about last night? Did you know he was going to be there?” Gaku asked. Riku shook his head. “No. Or yes, but not until right before the show. I got a note with a seat number on it, it didn’t have a sender or anything, but I recognized Tenn-nii in the audience.” Riku explained. 

Gaku nodded. “So, he sought you out? And yet he didn’t try to talk to us?” He asked. “I don’t know, we didn’t get a chance to talk… I don’t think he was supposed to be at the school last night, which was why I yelled for him to watch out when I saw that the teachers had spotted him. Before I could catch up to him, Kujou Takamasa had already found him. He seemed pretty angry and they just sort of left.” Riku said, which was true, he just wasn’t telling them all of it. 

Gaku nodded. “So, that thing about his dad… I mean, about Kujou-san, that was true? Like, what he said in the email I got?” He asked. Riku shrugged. “I don’t know, but from what I understood, Kujou-san didn’t like that Tenn-nii had sneaked out on his own. So, it’s possible it really is a question of safety.” He answered, not wanting to get them all involved in whatever was going on in the house with the treasure and the teachers. 

Gaku sighed. “Okay, I get it. Or I actually don’t yet, but I figure I will if I can just think it over a bit. I do understand that you’re not at fault for Tenn leaving though, so I’m really not mad at you and it was immature that I ever thought that you did have something to do with it.” He said. “Thank you.” Riku said and smiled up at Gaku. 

“But damn.” Gaku then exclaimed and ruffled his hair in frustration. “That brat never told us he had a brother! I told him everything regarding my fucked up family, and so did you, right Ryuu?” He asked irritably. Ryuu smiled and nodded. “Yes, I did. Though I wouldn't refer to my own family as 'fucked up'...” He answered amusedly. “Argh! He could have just told us he had a brother! When that brat comes back, if he does that is, I’ll give him a real talking to!” Gaku exclaimed before stomping out of the room. 

Ryuu sighed and then walked over to Riku, patted his shoulder and smiled at him. “I’m sorry if we made you feel obligated to tell us, but I’d also like to thank you for sharing that with us.” He said. Riku nodded. “It’s fine. It was going to have to come out sooner or later.” He said. Ryuu nodded. “I should probably go and check on Gaku now… I hope you feel better soon.” He said, and with that he left. 

“Did you guys know?” Mitsuki asked after another minute of silence. Iori looked up at his brother. “Did who know what?” He asked. Mitsuki sighed. “You, Nagi and Tamaki! You didn’t look surprised, just sympathetic when Riku told us about him and Kujou.” He clarified. Iori nodded, though he looked slightly guilty. Riku guessed he wasn’t used to keeping secrets from his brother, and Riku had made him keep a lot of secrets. “Yeah, he already told us earlier.” 

“Me and Iorin are his classmates after all! And Nagicchi is his roommate! The three of us do spend the most time with Rikkun, so it’s not that weird, right?” Tamaki said, trying to lighten the mood. Sougo shook his head. “No, you’re right.” He said before kneeling down in front of Riku. “We’ll leave you alone now, you must be tired. But let us know if you need anything, yeah?” He said. Riku smiled and nodded. “Will do! Thank you, Sougo-san, Mitsuki-san, Yamato-san.” He said. 

Sougo, Mitsuki and Yamato left then and Nagi got back to setting up his anime. A lot of things had happened recently, and for once, Riku actually looked forward to just doing nothing for a day or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Riku! Sorry for the pain! But at least you have your friends there to help you now. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back with the next one on Wednesday! Thank you for reading and also thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku has recovered and Sibuna are back to their sleuthing, but before that, Tsukumo has a surprise for them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the next chapter. ^^ Hopefully you're all feeling okay, staying home and staying safe! Maybe this can help you pass the time for a short while at least! Anyway, I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to talk, feel free to contact me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

The doors to Sousuke’s office flew open as Tsukumo stomped in, looking both furious and anxious. “What happened? You said it was urgent…” Sousuke said once the caretaker of Anubis House had closed the door behind him. “It is urgent. The relics are gone.” Tsukumo said.

The others in the room, which included the headmaster, Anesagi and Shimaoka, all looked at him in disbelief. “They’re gone? I thought you had them in your safe?” Anesagi questioned. Tsukumo sighed. “I did, I checked during the intermission of last night’s play, and at that time they were still there, just as they should have been. But when I got back that same night, they were gone.” He explained. 

“Did someone take them?” Sousuke asked. Tsukumo clicked his tongue before answering. “Yes, it must have been those blasted kids. They’re always causing trouble, lurking around the house…” He said. “It couldn’t have been the students.” Shimaoka said. “And why is that?” Tsukumo asked angrily. 

“Because,” The drama teacher started. “From what you said, it seems the theft took place sometime during the second act of the play, and as you are already aware, all of the students living in Anubis House were a part of that. They were all there and helped for the duration of the second act. And afterwards there was that incident with Nanase-kun, so you were the first one to get back to the house, right?” He clarified. 

Tsukumo nodded, albeit reluctantly. “I suppose…” He said. “Who could it have been then?” Anesagi asked. “What about Takamasa? We knew he was here to pick up Kujou Tenn last night, after he so irresponsibly sneaked out, but Kujou didn’t appear until after the play, when the boy was already running from us.” Sousuke suggested. 

“True, if he arrived earlier, he would have had plenty of time to go through your things.” Anesagi said. “I guess he could be trying to break away from all of us by doing this… But how would he know my combination?” Tsukumo asked. Anesagi shrugged. “It’s Kujou Takamasa we’re talking about, would you really be surprised at this point?” They asked. 

“No, I would not be surprised.” Tsukumo answered with a sigh. “But we don’t confront him about it.” He then stated. “What? Why not?” Shimaoka asked in confusion. “Because,” Tsukumo started. “If it wasn’t him, we don’t want to give him any ideas, then he really will go off on his own and that’s what we’re trying to prevent. And even if it was him who took them, if we don’t act bothered, he might start wondering. After all, he has never seen the ankh in person either, he can’t be completely sure he has the right thing.” Tsukumo explained. 

“Okay.” Sousuke said. “So, are we just about to sit around and do nothing?” He then asked. Tsukumo smirked and shook his head. “I’ll keep an extra eye on the kids back in the house, and as long as we keep up contact with Kujou, we can keep it under wraps. We’ll get them back, but we can’t act too rashly.” He said. 

The other nodded and agreed to that idea. “There is one more thing I’m worried about.” Tsukumo then said, earning curious glances from the rest. “The students, they know Kujou Tenn was here last night. They’re going to ask questions and I don’t think I can satisfy them on my own.” He said. 

Sousuke frowned. “What do you need help with?” He asked. Tsukumo shook his head. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything. No, I’ll need the assistance of Kujou Takamasa himself on this one. It will give me an opportunity to observe him as well.” Tsukumo said. “Great.” The headmaster exclaimed. “We’ll leave it to you then.” 

It was now Monday afternoon, and everyone were gathered in the living room, waiting for dinner to be finished. Riku had gone to school that day, even though some of the other guys, mainly Iori, had wanted him to stay at home and rest for one more day just to be safe. Riku, however, wouldn’t have it. He wanted to get outside and just keep himself occupied. 

It had gone fairly well, Riku was perhaps a bit more tired than usual, but he was glad he had decided to go. He had spent practically the entire weekend laying in his bed, so he had been more than happy to leave it for a few hours. Even if doing so meant having to deal with repetitive questions about whether he was feeling okay or not. 

Still, the day was nearing an end, and as they all sat waiting for Tsumugi to finish dinner, things were starting to feel like they had done before. 

Then Tsukumo entered the living room, a closed laptop under his arm and a scowl on his face. He silently waved them all over to the sofas and they all sat down, tense and nervous seeing as Tsukumo gathering them all was rarely a good sign. Tsukumo cleared his throat and set the computer down on the table, then he sighed and started talking. “So, I believe that you are all aware of the fact that a former resident of Anubis House, Kujou Tenn, visited us the night of the play.” 

As Tsukumo mentioned Tenn, everyone in the room perked up, now much more intrigued where this was going. “I expect that you were going to ask questions sooner or later, in fact, I am surprised that no one has done so already. Which is why I’ll give you ten minutes.” He said before opening the computer. Everyone looked on in confusion, not really sure what Tsukumo meant. 

“Ten minutes of what?” Gaku asked. “Do we get to ask you questions about Tenn for ten minutes? Or what do you mean?” He continued. Tsukumo shook his head and started typing something on the computer. “Nope, I won’t answer anything. I will, however, stay and observe as your friend does.” He said before turning the laptop around so that they could all see the screen. What met them there shocked them. 

On the computer, Tsukumo had opened a program for video chatting, and the face on the screen was one they all recognized. Kujou Tenn was sat on a chair, smiling at them all apologetically. “Hi.” He said, sounding a bit awkward. “Remember,” Tsukumo interrupted. “Ten minutes, then I’ll end the call, it doesn’t matter if you’ve finished talking or not. That’s all I’m giving you.” He said before taking a step back. 

It was quiet for a few seconds, then Gaku sighed and leaned forward, putting himself in the very center. “You little brat. I don’t even know what questions to ask, I’m just confused. What’s going on?” He asked, staring at Tenn. “It’s… a bit complicated. Sorry for just disappearing like that, I suppose.” He answered. 

“The email you wrote.” Gaku said. “Was it real? What you wrote in there.” He asked. Tenn looked a bit confused at first, but then realization hit him. “Oh, right. Yeah, basically at least. My dad got in trouble with some bad people, and now we have to stay hidden for a while. I wasn’t supposed to be at the culture festival either, I just… I don’t know, I wanted to go back.” He tried to explain. 

Riku saw something then that the others surely didn’t noticed. The first clue was Tenn’s confusion when Gaku mentioned the email. The second clue was how he sought out Riku’s gaze after he had finished the short explanation. Riku was sure now, that email hadn’t been from Tenn, and the explanation in it was definitely a lie. Riku basically knew that already, but this really confirmed it. 

Riku gulped down his nerves and was about to say something, but Ryuu beat him to it. “We’re just glad to see that you’re okay!” He exclaimed. “We all miss you, even Gaku, though he’s too proud to say it.” Ryuu continued, giving Gaku a knowing smirk. The gray-haired man just huffed ad rolled his eyes. He didn’t deny it though. 

Tenn smiled at his friends, a genuine smile that made Riku realize that Tenn had really been close to Ryuu and Gaku before leaving. From his early days at Anubis House, Riku had already figured that was the case, but seeing that smile now, Riku could tell that his brother cared about those two. 

Riku was also pleasantly surprised at how well he could still read his brother, he was afraid he had changed so much he wouldn’t recognize him, but there was so much familiarity in that gaze, that smile, that voice. It almost made Riku tear up. Riku wanted to talk to him, and not through a screen, and not with all these other people in the room. But he knew he couldn’t have it. Not yet. 

The others, mostly Gaku and Ryuu, kept asking question and Tenn answered as well as he could with answers Riku assumed were mostly lies. His brother lied and Riku didn’t know why. Was he being threatened to say this in order for them to stop snooping? Or did he just not want them to involve themselves? If so, was it out of worry? 

Even though Riku, along with Iori, Nagi and Tamaki, were right in the middle of it, he still didn’t understand exactly what was going on. He knew that Kujou and the teachers supposedly wanted to live forever, but why did they need Tenn? Why was he so important? Even though they knew the goal, there was still too much surrounding everything that was going on for it to make any sense. 

Riku had stayed quiet so far, wanting to give the others, again mostly Gaku and Ryuu, a chance to talk to Tenn. He also wasn’t sure what to say once he got to talk to Tenn. There was too much he wanted to say, but most of it was private, things he would rather not share around the others. However, their time was running out and Riku wasn’t the only one who was aware of that. 

On the screen, they all noticed that for the past minute, Tenn had been spacing out, seemingly observing them, as if he was looking for something. Gaku sighed, realizing what was going on. He took a step to the side and pushed Riku closer to the screen. “I think he wants to talk to you.” He said, looking at the redhead. Riku gulped and looked down at the computer, at the image of Tenn on the screen. 

“Hi, Riku.” Tenn said, his eyes were gleaming, and his lips formed a small smile. Riku smiled, his own lips trembling with all the emotions that overtook him. “Hello.” He said, not trusting his own voice to say anything more. “It’s… It’s been a while… How are you doing?” Tenn asked awkwardly, but he looked happy. Could it really be that he had been longing to see Riku again, just like Riku had been longing to see Tenn? 

Riku let out a chuckle, trying to force himself not to cry. “Yes, it has been a while. I’m okay. If you meant my condition, it’s a lot better than… Than before you left… I mean, it still bothers me from time to time, but it’s gotten a lot better.” He explained. Tenn would always worry about his condition as children, so Riku assumed that’s what he meant this time too. 

Tenn nodded. “That’s good. That’s… really good. Sorry, I don’t really know what to say.” He admitted, a sheepish smile on his face. Riku laughed again. “It’s okay, I don’t really know either.” Riku responded. “I have so much I want to say, I just don’t know where to start. And you have to go soon, so…” He said. 

Tenn turned serious then. “Right, there’s only like, one minute left.” He said sadly. “Riku, listen to me.” Riku looked at Tenn, really looked at him, their eyes met and even though it was all through a screen, it felt almost like he was there in the room. So close, yet so far. “What is it?” Riku asked. 

“I…” Tenn started, then stopped to take a deep breath. “I just wanted you to know that I didn’t leave because of anything you did. It wasn’t your fault. And I miss you. A lot.” He said. That’s when Riku felt his tears start leaking from his eyes. He had wanted to stay put together while his brother watched, but that relief was too much. 

Riku nodded. “I miss you too. Everyday, I think of you and I miss you.” He admitted. The twins smiled at each other, but that happiness was short-lived as Tsukumo cleared his throat. It was time to end it. The others noticed too, and Gaku once more leaned in so that Tenn could see him clearly. “Will you come back?” He asked quickly as Tsukumo started walking up to them. 

“I don’t know.” Tenn admitted. “I want to, but I can’t make any promises.” He said, and then, before either of them had any chance to say anything, to even say goodbye, Tsukumo pressed the button to end the call. “I told you.” He said coldly. “Ten minutes, no more, no less.” He said. Tsukumo then closed the laptop, picked it up under his arm like he had done before, and then left. 

Everyone was stunned by how abruptly it had all ended, they could do nothing but stare out the door after Tsukumo as he left. “Well, that ended quickly.” Gaku said with a frown. “At least you got to talk to him. Now we at least know that he is okay, why he left and that he wants to come back.” Ryuu said, placing a hand on Gaku’s shoulder in comfort. 

Gaku nodded and then he and Ryuu started walking away towards the dining table. Riku pulled Iori closer, wanting to talk to him about the call without the other overhearing. “He was lying.” Riku said. Iori furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “About what?” He asked. “The email and the entire story about why he left. I could tell, it’s just a cover. I mean, I guess we had already assumed that, but now I don’t have any doubts about that being the case anymore.” Riku explained. 

Iori nodded and frowned. “Are you okay? You just got to talk to him for the first time in five years, and you could only talk for a couple of minutes…” Iori stated in concern. Riku smiled sadly before shaking his head. “Honestly? I wanted to talk more, and I wanted to talk in private. It was nowhere near enough, and yet I have no way to reach him on my own.” He said, drying the remaining tears from his face before new ones could start to fall. 

Iori reached out and took ahold of Riku’s hand before giving the redhead a small smile. “It will be okay. We’re going to find the treasure, stop whatever it is that Kujou Takamasa and the teachers are doing, and then we’re going to get your brother back.” He said, his eyes shining with determination, and it made Riku feel a lot better. He returned Iori’s smile and squeezed his hand as a thank you. 

“Aww!” Nagi and Tamaki exclaimed in unison, making Iori and Riku quickly turn around, their faces bright red. Nagi and Tamaki started laughing then, which in turn got the rest of the boys’ attention. “Wait, wait, wait! What is happening here?” Mitsuki asked, a huge grin on his face. 

“Nothing at all!” Iori exclaimed before dropping Riku’s hand as quickly as he could. But it was too late, the damage had been done and now they were all taunting them, much to Iori’s dismay. Riku, while embarrassed, was more happy than anything. Even with all the conflicting emotions about Tenn swirling around in his head, Iori had really managed to reassure him. He somehow always did. 

Riku smiled to himself as he and Iori begrudgingly made their way over to the rest of their friends and their teasing comments. Riku realized then, that maybe there was something in what they were saying, and that made him blush even harder than any of their inappropriate or embarrassing comments could. Riku was realizing that maybe Iori had become a bit closer to him than just a regular friend, that maybe he had always been something more. 

The next day, which was Tuesday, the Sibuna gang gathered in a corner of the lounge at lunch. As soon as they had finished eating, Iori had brought up the two newest relics from his bag. They had decided it best that he keep them from now, as opposed to Riku, just in case someone made the connection of Riku’s absence from part of the play. The group then started properly studying them, which they hadn’t really had time for with Riku’s recovery and the issue with Tenn. 

Iori and Riku had seen them before, what with finding one of them in one of the handles of the staircase and all, and then all four of them had gotten quick glimpses of them after they retrieved them from the safe. But this was the first time all four had gotten together to observe them closely with one another. 

These two were the smallest relics they had found so far, both were square disks surrounded by a frame made from golden pipes. Hieroglyphs decorated both relics, and these were the only thing that really made them look different. They also noticed that along one of the pipes, you could insert a combination of numbers, which they assumed would give them the next clue, just like when they had opened the previous relics. 

The combination seemed to consist of ten numbers in total, but they seemed to be put in pairs, meaning whatever combination they were looking for consisted of five two-digit numbers. 

They were at a loss, even though they knew what to look for, they had no idea where to start looking, no indication to what these numbers could be or where to find them. Iori had suggested trying to translate the various hieroglyphs on the relics, which the others agreed they could do if they couldn’t figure anything else out, but the problem with that was that it would take a long time to translate them all. 

Still, now that they had them back, at least they were ahead of Tsukumo, or so they liked to believe at least. They knew that they had to find the treasure first, and the possible time limit that they still didn’t know very much about was also starting to worry them. What would happen if they ran out of time? When exactly was the time limit? And why was it important to find the treasure before a certain time? The answer to these questions probably lay with Tsukumo and the teachers involved, but they couldn’t very well just ask them about it. 

When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break, the Sibuna members gathered their stuff and headed outside. However, they hadn’t even had time to say goodbye to Nagi yet, seeing as he was going to a different classroom and all, when Ryuu jogged up to them. “There you guys are, I’ve been looking for you!” He exclaimed with a bright smile as he joined them. 

“Tsunashi-shi? What’s up?” Nagi asked curiously. Ryuu made sure to catch his breath before explaining the situation. “We’re all going to be a bit late to class, it’s fine though! We have a proper excuse!” He started. Iori frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. “What’s going on?” He asked. 

“It’s Tsukumo, he wanted to talk to everyone from Anubis House. He’s waiting in the headmaster’s office right now. Something about security, I think? He mentioned his safe and a break in, he didn’t seem very upset though, so hopefully it’s not too much of a problem.” Ryuu finished explaining. 

They all tensed up hearing that, especially Riku. Had Tsukumo figured it out it was him who did it? But why, then, had he called for all of them? Maybe he had just concluded it had to be someone from the house, but didn’t know who yet? Nagi was the first one who managed to collect himself enough to give Ryuu an answer. “Thank you, we’ll go there in a second.” He answered. 

Ryuu nodded and smiled. “Great! I still have to find and tell Sougo-kun, Mitsuki-kun and Yamato-kun about it, if you see either of them on your way to the headmaster’s office, tell them, will you? And let me know you’ve found them as well, so that I don’t have to run around the school unnecessarily.” He said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. 

Tamaki nodded. “Sure thing, Ryuu-aniki! Leave it to us!” He said while giving the older boy a broad grin. Ryuu thanked them before leaving to look for the others. 

The moment Ryuu was gone, they all turned to each other in concern. “Do you think he knows it was me who did it?” Riku asked, looking a bit panicked. Iori reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s wrist. “I’m sure it will be fine. If he thought it was you specifically, why would he bother calling as all out? As long as he doesn’t know who it was, then we’re safe. And if he thinks it was you, we’ll all cover for you. We’ll find a solution.” He said, trying to reassure the redhead before he could start to hyperventilate. 

Riku nodded and tried to smile at Iori, but the raven-haired boy could see that he was still troubled. Not wanting to waste any more time, the four decided to just head to the office and get it all over with. However, as they were leaving, Iori realized just what he was hiding in his bag. 

The relics, the same ones they had stolen from Tsukumo’s safe were now in his school bag. What if they made a bag search? They would find the stolen goods and be able to pin it on him immediately. In a panic, Iori decided to shove his bag on top of the lockers standing nearby, thinking that if he didn’t bring it, they’d have nothing to search. He would just have to come back for it as soon as he could. 

However, what he didn’t notice was that as he shoved his bag up on the locker, one of the compartments opened, and one of the relics fell right out, hitting the floor with a silent plonk. Iori left the hallway and followed his friends, not realizing what had just happened. Since they had all left, they also failed to notice how someone noticed the strange object, picked it up in curiosity and put it inside of their own bag instead. 

The atmosphere was tense as everyone gathered inside Yaotome Sousuke’s office. Tsukumo paced back and forth for a few seconds before he turned to face the boys. “I don’t know if you know this, but the night of the school play, there was a break in at Anubis House.” He started. Riku gulped and reached out for Iori’s hand. He really felt like he could use the support right now. 

Iori didn’t seem to mind as he only squeezed Riku’s hand in return upon noticing. Tsukumo continued to talk, interrupting the murmurs that had started as he announced they had had a break in. “However, you need not worry, it appears I am the only one who has been robbed.” He said, which seemed to relax a few of them, even though it did nothing to help Riku’s nerves. 

“Because of this, I’ve had to take some precautions, so that it doesn’t happen again. This afternoon, I will have some security workers come around the house. They will change my safe for a new, more secure one, as well as have a look at all the locks throughout the house, making sure they are secure. This is why I had called you here.” He continued to explain. 

Riku raised an eyebrow in confusion. Did this mean he could relax? Or was it still too early? Tsukumo soon answered his questions. “I want all of you to stay out of the house this afternoon, as to not disturb their work. They told me they expected to be finished shortly after five this afternoon, but just to be safe, I ask that you all stay here in school until six o’clock before returning.” He said. 

That was when Riku finally allowed himself to relax. Tsukumo hadn’t discovered them, they were still safe. They all replied that they understood, after which the headmaster added that he would keep the library, the lounge and the cafeteria open until six, so that they would have places to be and access to snacks if they were needed until they could return to the house. Then they were all dismissed and asked to return to class. 

As they were walking back through the hallways, Nagi, Tamaki, Iori and Riku all talked about how close of a call that had been and how relieved they were that it hadn’t been anything worse. They could even use those few hours that afternoon thinking about the next step in the search, since they wouldn’t have Tsukumo looming behind their backs every other minute. 

When they reached the lockers that Iori had in all haste shoved his bag up on before leaving for the meeting, Iori immediately reached out and grabbed it. It was when he searched through it that he started to understand that something was wrong. “No, that can’t be…” He said as he started emptying the contents of his bag. 

“Iorin, what’s wrong?” Tamaki asked in both concern and confusion as he, Nagi and Riku watched Iori. Iori looked up them, looking both apologetic and worried. “The relics, I can only find one of them in my bag.” He admitted. 

“What? Where’s the other one?” Riku asked as he joined Iori in looking through his things, but no matter how much they looked, they could only find one of them. “I don’t know how it happened, but one them are gone.” Iori said. “I’m so sorry, I thought there was going to be a bag search. I didn’t want to risk Tsukumo finding them. And now I’ve lost one…” He continued. 

Riku took some deep breaths to calm down, then he reached out for Iori. “It’s not your fault, I would have done the same.” He said, hoping to comfort the other, if only a little bit. “But what are we going to do now? We just got it back… Where do we start looking?” Riku asked, looking troubled. 

Iori turned to him then. “I’m sorry, but-” He started, but was interrupted by Riku himself. “Don’t say that! I told you, it’s not your fault.” Riku said. Iori sighed and instead cupped Riku’s cheeks in his hands, hoping to calm the redhead down. “Thank you for saying that, but it was my fault, I know that. But being upset about it helps no one. Besides, I’m not ready to give up on Sara, the quest, and certainly not on you.” Iori said determinedly before softening his features into a small, gentle smile. 

“We’ll get the relic back, I promise. I won’t let you down, I won’t abandon you. We’ll get through this, like we always have.” He said. Riku returned the smile then, albeit only a small smile, and nodded. “I know. Thank you.” He said. 

They might have been set back again, which was a bit discouraging considering they had just managed to retrieve the relics, but they were more determined than ever to keep going. And they at least still had one of the relics, which was more than they had last time, meaning they weren’t completely lost. They were all determined to find the lost relic as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand the relic is lost again... And they just found it too!Hopefully it wom't be as troublesome to get it back, eh? I'll be back on Saturday with the next chapter so look forward to that! Thank you for reading, as well as for leaving kudos and comments! <3<3<3


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki makes a discovery and Riku has a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! I hope you're all doing good and that you will enjoy this! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can find me on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Tamaki let out a loud and dramatic sigh as he was walking back to the house that Friday afternoon with Iori and Riku in tow. He was feeling a bit down, and there were multiple reasons for it. One, they hadn’t gotten anywhere with the combination for the relic, two, the second relic was still missing, even though they’d been looking for three days, and lastly, he just found out that he had failed the latest math test.

“It’s your own fault, you know. Osaka-san and I both offered to help you study, but you insisted you didn’t need it.” Iori said with a shrug as he watched his friend sulking. “But there was so much else going on! Can you blame me for not focusing on math?” Tamaki complained. “Both Nanase-san and I passed, and we made time to study for it, so I don’t think you have any rights to complain.” Iori argued. 

Tamaki pouted and Riku chuckled. “I’m sorry Tamaki, but I think Iori is right on this one. But it’s okay, we’ll help you study for the make-up test!” Riku exclaimed, hoping to cheer up his blue-haired friend. Sadly, it didn’t seem to work. “Argh! I don’t want to think about math anymore!” Tamaki exclaimed before running off, leaving a stunned Riku and a sighing Iori behind. 

Once he got to the house, Tamaki quickly and quietly made his way to the laundry room. He knew that Tsumugi had finished the laundry just that same morning, meaning no one should have any reason to go into that room for the rest of the day, making it the perfect place to avoid the rest, take a nap and think about more interesting things than math. 

However, Tamaki didn’t get to be left alone for nearly as long as he would have liked. Almost an hour after he got there, the door to the laundry room opened, rudely waking Tamaki from his nap. “Tamaki-kun?” Sougo, the one who had entered questioned as he saw the younger man sprawled out on the floor. 

Tamaki groaned and slung his arm over his face. “Leave me alone, Sou-chan!” Tamaki complained. “Are you hiding because of the math test?” Sougo asked as he closed the door. “Ugh, don’t even mention it.” Tamaki said. “What are you doing here anyway?” He then asked. 

“I spilled coffee on my jumper, so I’m going to wash it.” Sougo said, holding up the jumper he had folded in his arms, the one that Tamaki had initially missed. Sougo then did what he came there for, but instead of leaving once he was finished, he instead sat down, joining Tamaki on the floor. 

“You know, it’s okay to fail every once in a while, Tamaki-kun. You don’t have to feel bad about it. And besides, we will all help you so that it goes better the next time!” Sougo said, trying to get Tamaki to cheer up. Tamaki just pouted and stared at Sougo without saying anything, he was clearly still feeling upset. 

Figuring he needed something else to cheer Tamaki up, Sougo gave him a gentle smile and leaned in closer. “Hey, I found something strange the other day, do you want to see it? Maybe it will take your mind off this test for a little while…” He suggested. 

Tamaki seemed to consider it for a while, but then sat up and nodded, making Sougo feel relieved. Sougo then reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out something small wrapped in cloth. “I found this on the floor of the school the other day, I know I should have given it to the ‘lost and found’, but it looked so interesting! I was considering taking it to someone who might tell me what it is before I give it away.” He explained as he unwrapped the cloth. 

Tamaki’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open in shock as he saw that wrapped in the cloth was the very same relic that he and the rest of Sibuna had lost three days earlier. Sougo looked at Tamaki funnily. “What’s up? Do you recognize it?” He asked, a bit surprised by the shock reflected on Tamaki’s face. 

Tamaki shook his head violently to collect himself. He could tell Sougo that it was his, he knew the older boy would return it if he did. But he also knew that Sougo would ask questions if he did that, and Tamaki was really bad at coming up with excuses. “Uhm, no. I just thought it looked really cool!” Tamaki settled on. 

“I know, right?” Sougo answered before he started rambling about his possible theories about what it could be. Tamaki, however, wasn’t listening to Sougo. Now that he knew who had their missing relic, Tamaki could easily get it back. The question was just how. He had already concluded that telling Sougo was out of the question, he wouldn’t be able to come up with any excuses for what it was. Tamaki would simply have to steal it. 

Later that evening, just a few minutes after dinner, Tamaki had dragged Iori up to Riku and Nagi’s room, insisting they had important Sibuna business to discuss. Iori, who had been in the middle of doing his homework, had initially complained, saying it could wait a few minutes so he could finish. Tamaki hadn’t agreed though, and had proceeded to forcefully drag Iori with him. 

He knocked on the door to the other two members’ room, and soon it was opened by Nagi. “Oh? Tamaki and Iori? What do you want?” He asked happily. Tamaki pushed himself inside and closed the door. Iori sighed. “Yotsuba-san dragged me up here, saying he had something important and Sibuna-related to talk about.” He explained. 

“What is it?” Riku asked Tamaki, now intrigued by where this was going. Tamaki started grinning, let go of Iori’s wrist and then reached into his own pockets and pulled out something. “Tada!” He exclaimed, proudly holding up the relic that had been missing. 

Riku’s smile widened as he pushed himself to his feet. “It’s the relic! You found it, Tamaki!” He exclaimed, taking the object from Tamaki’s hands and inspecting it. “Tamaki, amazing!” Nagi exclaimed and hugged his friend, making Tamaki laugh a laugh full of pride. 

“That's really great, Yotsuba-san, but where did you find it?” Iori asked. Tamaki shrugged. “Does it matter? It’s back now!” He said, still not sure whether he should tell the others how he had gotten it or not, scared they would be mad at him for dealing with it the way he had. Iori frowned, but Nagi and Riku just seemed happy and relieved. Finally, the relic was back. 

It was later that same night, after everyone had already gone to bed, that Riku heard someone calling what sounded like his name. “-iku…” He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, wanting nothing more than to just sleep and ignore whoever was calling him. 

“Riku…” He heard again, more clearly this time. Riku sighed and sat up, his vision was a bit blurry, but something shone in a light blue, almost white light in front of him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then blinked a couple of times, his vision finally managed to register who was standing in front if him. 

Standing by the edge of his bed was a familiar face, but not the face of someone who should be there. “Sara?” Riku questioned. The old woman sat down by his feet, her eyes were clear and awake, her hair looked soft and she wore a white nightgown. Riku couldn’t explain it, but she seemed to glow with a faint light, and she wore the kindest, most gentle smile Riku had ever seen directed at him. She somehow looked healthier, more awake, more alive now than he had ever seen her before. 

“What are you doing here?” Riku asked in confusion. “How did you even get in here?” He continued to ask. Sara kept smiling and then reached out and took ahold of one of Riku’s hands. Riku opened his mouth, about to ask her again what was going on, but Sara shushed him, making him stop before any words could leave his mouth. 

“It’s okay.” She whispered. “It’s just a dream.” Riku blinked at her. “A dream?” He asked, and then suddenly, it all made sense. Riku somehow knew Sara was telling the truth, but what did it mean? Why did he suddenly dream that the old lady was visiting him? Then, out of nowhere, Sara gripped Riku’s hand tighter, her gentle smile vanished, and a serious expression took its place. Riku gulped, feeling rather nervous by this turn of events. 

“You’re not going to give up on me, are you?” Sara asked, looking troubled. “You’re not going to leave me alone like everybody else, are you?” She continued. Riku hurriedly shook his head, wanting to appease his friend. She had already suffered alone more than enough. “No, of course I won’t Sara. I’m here, and I will find the treasure, I promise.” He said, sounding determined. 

Sara visibly calmed down at that, her serious expression once more shifted back into the same gentle smile from earlier. “Good. That’s good.” She said, sounding relieved. “Because it’s only just beginning.” Sara then added. Riku frowned. “Sara, the treasure, the Cup of Ankh, why do you want us to find it?” He asked. 

“To keep it safe, of course. You must find it and protect it. A lot of people will seek it, but in the wrong hands, the consequences could be horrid. Only you have the power, it has to be you.” Sara said. “But why?” Riku asked, sounding more desperate than he would have liked. “Why me? What’s so special about me? You could have chosen Iori, he’s so much smarter than I am. Or Tamaki, who is more motivated to do this than anything else right now! Or Nagi! He understands people in a way that I’ve never seen before, and he’s strong! Why, of all people, does it have to be me?” He asked. 

Sara smiled and reached out to cup Riku’s cheek in her hand, she then gently stroked his face. “You are special, I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one.” She said calmly. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, Sara stiffened up, let go of Riku’s cheek and hand and then stood up. “I have to go.” She said. 

Riku shook his head, he found that he did not want to see her go, he wanted her to stay, he wanted her to answer his questions and to help calm his worries. As she backed away, Sara was slowly starting to fade, but as she did, she was also muttering something. A series of numbers. “11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” She said. “11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” She repeated. 

“What does that mean?” Riku asked. “Sara, please! Stay! I can’t do this without you.” He called out. “11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” Sara repeated as she kept smiling reassuringly at Riku and backing away, and only a few seconds later, she had vanished completely. 

“Sara!” Riku exclaimed as he opened his eyes and sat straight up in his bed. He was breathing hard, and the cold darkness of his room, combined with Nagi’s light snores told him that he had woken up. The dream was over. 

Riku took a few deep breaths to try and calm down, then he looked at the clock, which showed 03:46. He lay back in his bed and tried to relax, but it was a bit difficult. Had Sara really visited him in his sleep, and if so, how had she done it? It didn’t make any sense, but then again, little of what they discovered in Anubis House made any sense. 

That was when Riku remembered the numbers. “Could it be…?” He asked quietly to himself. He then hurriedly grabbed his phone and wrote the numbers Sara had said as she faded away onto a note there. Riku had a feeling that he knew what they were for. It was a bit crazy, after all, how could a dream know the answer to their riddle? But he still thought it was worth a try. He would have to bring it up with the others once morning came around. 

Next day was a Saturday, which meant that there was no school to attend that day. Because of that, no one had bothered to wake up Riku that morning. After waking up from the dream, Riku had initially been quite excited, he had not really expected to be able to go back to sleep. But once he had gone over and registered everything that Sara had told him, he was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion and passed right out. 

So, when he woke up to an empty room and a clock that said it was almost noon, Riku rushed out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs. He still felt tired though, maybe he slept too much? He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because his friends were waiting for him down in the living room. 

“Hello there, Sleeping Beauty, glad to see that you finally decided to join us.” Nagi greeted. Riku flushed in embarrassment as he joined them in the sofas. “You could have woken me! Why did you let me sleep until noon?” He asked. 

“I was going to wake you up around ten, but someone wouldn’t let me…” Nagi said, turning his head around to look at Iori, who just shrugged in return. “You’ve been stressed lately, what with your brother and the stolen relic. I thought you needed the rest.” He admitted. 

Riku blushed, that was actually really sweet of him, which didn’t help Riku’s rising suspicions about his own feelings for his friend. Riku soon realized he had been spacing out, and so he shook his head to clear his mind. “Thanks, that was sweet. But now that I’m up, there’s something we need to discuss. Iori, grab the relics and we’ll meet up in my and Nagi’s room.” He said before standing up and leaving. 

At first, the others looked at one another funnily, but decided to just go along with it. Tamaki also stopped by the kitchen and brought some fruit with him, since Riku had apparently forgotten about breakfast. Once they all got there, Tamaki handed Riku the fruit, which the redhead was thankful for as he immediately started feasting on it. 

They all sat down in a circle on the floor and Iori put the two relics in the middle. “So, what did you want to discuss?” He asked, curious to see what Riku wanted to share. Riku swallowed the last piece of his fruit and then turned serious. “I had a dream last night.” He admitted. 

“What kind of dream, Rikkun?” Tamaki asked in curiosity. “I dreamed about Sara.” Riku answered. “She like, visited me. Here. In this room.” He explained. Nagi furrowed his brows in confusion. “Sara, our old lady friend, was here in our room last night?” He asked. Riku shook his head. “No, like I said, it was just a dream. But it felt very real… I don’t really know how to explain it.” He said. 

“Okay.” Iori said. “So, you had a dream about Sara, what did she want?” He then asked. “Well…” Riku started. “At first, I think she wanted reassurance. She wanted to know that I wouldn’t give up on her and the treasure. Then she told me that it was only just beginning. I don’t think this ends when we find the Cup of Ankh, Sara wants us to protect it. Or rather, she wants me to protect it…” He said. 

“Protect it? From Tsukumo, Kujou and the others?” Nagi suggested. Riku nodded. “I assume so, amongst other possible people as well. I don’t know, actually.” He admitted. “Even so,” Iori started, making Riku and the others turn to him. “We can’t protect it if we haven’t even found it yet, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves and just focus on doing that now.” He said. 

Riku sighed, then smiled and nodded, agreeing to what Iori said. “There was one more thing…” Riku then admitted. “One more thing?” Iori asked. “From the dream, or?” He continued to question. 

Riku nodded. “As Sara started fading away just before I woke up, she was repeating a series of numbers. Now, I know this was just a dream, and maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m grasping at straws here, but I think she might have been trying to tell me the combination to open the new relics. Or at least one of them.” Riku explained. 

“You think you dreamed up the answer?” Iori asked sceptically. Riku nodded and Iori then sighed. “While that should be impossible, it’s not like we have any other suggestions. I say we try it. What’s the worst that could happen?” Iori suggested. “Right.” Riku answered, though everyone could see that he was nervous. 

“Should we just do it?” Tamaki said, reaching out and grabbing one of the relics. Riku nodded and held out his hand so that Tamaki could drop the relic into Riku’s grip. “Okay, here we go…” Riku said as he started turning inserting the numbers from his dream. “Sara repeated the numbers 11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” He said, entering the numbers as he said them. 

The moment the final number, 15, had been entered, they tried to open the relic in any way, but there was no use. Just as Iori was about to suggest they try the second one, however, the ground suddenly started shaking. Riku let out a yelp and dropped the relic. “Is it an earthquake?!” Tamaki asked in shock and panic. No one answered him, but Nagi quickly reached out and reset the numbers on the relic, after which the shaking stopped. 

Everyone was breathing hard, the shock from what just happened still present. “What just…?” Tamaki started. “It stopped the moment I changed back the numbers to zero…” Nagi said. “Did our relic really just cause an earthquake?” Riku asked in confusion. 

No one answered. The absurdity of the situation had gotten to them all. “Well…” Iori started after a while, wanting to break the silence. “We are dealing something that could supposedly make one immortal, so maybe it’s not as farfetched as it may seem, that the relics can cause things like earthquakes, that is…” He said. 

“Yeah, you may be right…” Riku said. “Maybe it did that because we entered the wrong combination? Or do you suppose the earthquake was our next clue?” He then asked, turning to Iori. “It makes more sense to think of it as a warning, so I’d say it was the wrong combination… But then again, I don’t really know what to think when it comes to a lot of things regarding our search for the Cup of Ankh.” He admitted. 

Riku nodded. “There may be a way to find out…” Nagi then said. “What is it, Nagicchi?” Tamaki asked, not really following his friend’s train of thought. Nagi put down the relic and instead picked up the second one, holding it out to Riku. 

“We could try the same combination on the second one. Maybe we just entered it into the wrong relic. If nothing at all happens, then the earthquake just now was just a conveniently timed coincidence, if there’s another earthquake, then your dream was really just a dream and we’ll know the relics cause the earthquakes.” Nagi explained. 

Riku gulped, a bit nervous to try that all over again. Still, he had this feeling that his dream really had been important, and so, he nodded and accepted the relic from Nagi. “Here I go.” He said, looking at his friends seriously. “If the ground starts shaking, I’ll be prepared to reset the relic again.” He then said. 

Iori, Nagi and Tamaki all nodded, giving Riku permission to go ahead with it. Riku took a deep breath and then he started entering the same numbers as before. 11, 01, 01, 19, and 15. Just like last time, for the first few seconds, nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, something did. But this time, it wasn’t an earthquake, this time, one of the tubes surrounding the square disk opened and out popped a rolled-up piece of paper. 

For a few seconds, they all just stared at the paper that now lay on the floor in shock. Then Tamaki started grinning. “It worked! Rikkun, dream Sara was right! It was the correct combination!” He exclaimed. Riku giggled and smiled brightly. “It actually worked.” He said in disbelief. 

“You keep saying that you don’t know why Sara asked you to look for the treasure, but then you come up with things like this. Nanase-san, do you still not see that we can’t do this without you?” Iori asked. Riku smiled shyly at him, feeling happy now that they had something new. 

“Well?” Nagi interrupted. “Are we going to look at the new riddle, or what?” He asked excitedly. Riku snapped out of it then and nodded. Then, he leaned down and picked up the piece of paper, rolled it out and read what was written on it out loud. “My father’s father stands tall, his face and hands together turn circles around Isis and Osiris, and Horus the son reveals me.” 

“Once again,” Tamaki started once Riku was finished. “I don’t get it.” He said with a frown. “Actually,” Iori started. “I think I might know this one.” He admitted. The other three turned to him. “You do?” They all asked in unison, their voices filled with surprise. 

Iori just smiled and nodded. “My father’s father obviously means grandfather. Isis and Osiris are Egyptian deities and they symbolize the moon and the sun. Something with hands and a face that turn circles around the moon and the sun… Couldn’t it refer to a clock? And, to further support this theory, we happen to have an antique grandfather clock downstairs, in the entranceway.” Iori explained. 

Riku beamed at him. “Oh my god, Iori, you just solved that riddle in record speed!” He exclaimed. Iori shrugged. “I guess it helped that I’ve been reading about Egypt and it’s ancient gods lately…” He said sheepishly. 

“Let’s go check it out right now!” Tamaki suggested, standing up and jumping up and down excitably. Nagi and Riku chuckled and Iori nodded. “That sounds like a plan.” He said. Then they all headed out of the room, down the stairs and stopped in front of the clock. Tsukumo was out for the time being, they could hear Tsumugi humming along to a song, but she was in the kitchen right now and probably wouldn’t bother them. The other residents were nowhere to be seen, they were most likely either in their own rooms, or they had gone out for the day. 

Iori carefully opened the glass door that covered the face of the clock. “Okay, so the riddle most likely talks about the clock, but what are we supposed to do with it?” Riku asked. “What about that last part of the riddle? ‘and Horus the son reveals me’?” Nagi suggested. Iori nodded. “Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris, he was symbolized by a triangle, so maybe we have to make the hands form some sort of triangle? Let’s just try a few different combinations…” He said. 

The others nodded and then watched as Iori started turning the hands of the grandfather clock. They were all tense with nerves and anticipation. When Iori turned the hands to make three o’clock, there was a small sound and near the bottom of the clock’s face, a small compartment seemed to open up. 

“There it is.” He said. Riku grinned and clung onto Iori’s right arm. “Iori, you’re amazing! That was so fast!” He said. Iori in turn blushed, but still managed to return a thankful smile to the redhead. 

Then, the raven-haired boy started opening the compartment in the clock fully, only to be disappointed and see that it was empty. Iori frowned and felt around on the inside, but he couldn’t find anything that shouldn’t be there. “It’s no use, it’s completely empty.” He said. 

However, Nagi was the one who soon realized what was going on. “That must have been where the second relic was! The one that was already in Tsukumo’s safe! He must have adjusted that clock at one point and accidentally opened that compartment.” He said. 

Riku’s eyes widened as the realization sunk in. “Yes, that has to be the case. But that means…” He started. “That we’re back to where we started.” Iori finished. “We have to find a second combination for the other relic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Another chapter uploaded ^^ I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter! Thank you for reading and also for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku decides to gi visit Sara and ask her about the dream he had, but on the way there, he sees Sougo looking for something...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I'm back with a new chapter! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMAKI!!! <3<3<3<3 I hope you will all enjoy this update! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can find me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Sunday morning had come around, and Sibuna were no closer to finding the second combination than they had been the night before. And, because the first combination had come to Riku in a dream he had had about Sara, they didn’t really know what the numbers she had given them meant. If they did know, they might have been able to use it as a clue when trying to figure out the second combination.

Riku had suggested going to visit the actual Sara to see if she could explain what dream-Sara had said to Riku. He knew it sounded a bit weird, how would she know about something that happened inside his head? But still, they didn’t really have much else to go on at the moment. And so, the others had agreed to let him go visit her later that day while they stayed in the house, trying to look for a solution there. 

After lunch, Riku had started getting his things ready, and he was just about to head out when he noticed something that was a bit odd. On the floor in the entranceway, Sougo was crawling on his knees, seemingly inspecting the floor, or maybe he was looking for something? That was weird, Sougo was the most organized person in the house, at least when it came to his possessions. He was the last person Riku would expect to lose something. But then again, it happened to everyone sooner or later, Riku supposed. 

Before leaving, Riku figured he should check up on him, see if he needed any help. “Sougo-san? What are you doing? Did you drop something?” Riku asked, kneeling down next to Sougo so that they could talk more easily. 

Sougo turned around at the sound of someone addressing him, and when he saw it was Riku, he leaned back on his heals and faced Riku with the same gentle smile as always. “I’m not sure actually… I found this really strange object in school the other day, and I kept it in my bag. Now, it wasn’t mine, so I was going to leave it in the lost and found, but I was curious about what it could be, so I brought it back here first. Only, I seem to have lost it… Which is bad, because someone else might be looking for it as we speak.” Sougo explained, looking a bit troubled. 

Riku frowned. “Well, that’s not good. Where did you last put it?” He asked, trying to be of some help. “Hmm…” Sougo hummed in thought before answering the question. “I originally had it in the pocket of my uniform pants, but then I moved it to my schoolbag Friday night. I was going to head to the library yesterday and bring it to the lost and found at the same time, but when I was about to leave the house, it was no longer in the bag.” He said. 

“Did you move your bag around after you put it in there then?” Riku continued to ask. Sougo nodded. “Yes, but only once between my bedroom and the living room, and then back again I suppose. So, assuming it fell out of my bag, it has to be either in my room, the living room, the upstairs hallway or here, in the entranceway.” Sougo answered and Riku nodded. 

“I already checked my bedroom, it took all afternoon and evening yesterday, but it’s not there. Then I checked the second-floor hallway and the stairs just now, and I was just starting in here.” Sougo admitted. “So, it’s only the entranceway and the living room left?” Riku asked. Sougo nodded and smiled sheepishly. “Yes, I really hope I can find it! Seeing as it wasn’t mine to begin with, I’d really like to hand it in.” He said. 

Riku nodded and then gave Sougo an encouraging smile. “I can help you if you’d like! It’ll be faster to search these two rooms if we do it together!” He offered. Sougo’s eyes widened and a small flush covered his cheeks. “Oh no, it’s totally fine! You don’t need to help me, I was the one who lost it after all… And besides, weren’t you leaving? It looked like you were going somewhere just now.” Sougo said apologetically. 

Riku shook his head and gave the older boy a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, it wasn’t anything urgent. Besides, if we hurry, I could just go once we’re done! Besides, you’re always willing to help out around the house, whether it be with chores or homework or anything! It’s the least I could do!” Riku insisted. 

Sougo visibly relaxed and returned Riku’s smile. “Well, if you insist that it’s not a bother, I would really appreciate the help. Thank you so much!” He said. Riku giggled proudly, his beaming smile seemingly lit up the room. It was quite endearing. 

“By the way,” Riku started. “What is it even we’re looking for? You said it was something weird, but could you be more specific? It might be easier to look that way, so that I don’t accidentally miss it.” He said. Sougo nodded. “Of course! Although, I have no idea what it was… I do have a picture of it though! Hang on, I’ll show it to you.” He said as he started fishing out his phone from his pocket. 

Riku waited eagerly, curious to see this “weird thing” that Sougo had found. “Here it is!” Sougo soon exclaimed, holding out his phone for Riku to see. The moment Riku saw the picture however, his jaw dropped, and shock was written all over his face. The object Sougo was looking for was the relic that he and the rest of Sibuna had lost in the school a few days ago. 

Sougo seemed to notice Riku’s strange expression, as he started frowning and then nudged Riku to get his attention. “What’s up? Do you perhaps recognize it?” He asked, sounding concerned at first, but then excited. Riku shook his head in order to collect his thoughts. Had Sougo been the one to find their relic? But Tamaki said he had found it… 

“Sougo-san, you said you found that at school, right? Where more exactly? And when approximately?” Riku asked. “Well,” Sougo started. “It was around some of the lockers near the student lounge on the first floor, and I remember it being just before that meeting with Tsukumo! You know, the one about the break in.” Sougo explained. 

Riku nodded, so Sougo really had been the one to pick it up after Iori lost it that day. Maybe Tamaki had found it on the floor yesterday, after Sougo had supposedly dropped it. But then again, Tamaki had been pretty secretive about where he had found the relic, why would he need to be so secretive if he had only found it laying on the floor? Something wasn’t quite right… 

Riku frowned and then turned back to Sougo. “Did you show anybody else this? Or did you just keep it to yourself?” He asked. “I did show it to Tamaki-kun quickly! Friday night in the laundry room, you know, when he was upset about failing that test. He seemed rather interested in it.” Sougo explained. 

“So, Tamaki knew you had that object?” Riku wanted to clarify. Sougo nodded. “Yes, but why are you wondering?” He asked. Riku shook his head. “No reason…” He said, but he didn’t sound convinced. If Tamaki knew Sougo had found it, maybe the older boy hadn’t dropped it after all… 

Tamaki had undoubtedly recognized the relic when Sougo found it, and he must have wanted to help by getting it back. Did he take it from Sougo’s bag? Was that why he hadn’t wanted to tell them where he had found it? Did he not want them to know that Sougo had seen the relic or did he not want them to know that he had practically stolen it back? 

Riku sighed, this just got a lot more complicated. Why hadn’t Tamaki just gone to them and told them that Sougo had the relic? They could have dealt with it in a much better way than this. Just as Riku thought that, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. “If I can’t find it here or in the living room, I should probably go to Tsukumo and Tsumugi and ask them… Maybe one of them found it laying around. What do you think?” Sougo suggested. 

Riku forced a smile and nodded, though his smile undoubtedly looked anxious. If Sougo went to Tsukumo, he would realize the relic was still here, which would be very bad. Riku needed to talk to the others about this, and he needed to do it as soon as possible. Having come to that conclusion, Riku stood up and gave Sougo an apologetic smile. “Sougo-san, I’m so sorry! I know I said I would help, but I just remembered I had something really important to do! I hope it’s okay?” He said, trying to excuse himself. 

Sougo’s eyes widened. “Oh, of course! I totally understand! It’s fine, thank you for offering in the first place.” He said, giving Riku his signature kind smile. Riku nodded and then started heading back up the stairs. “Oh, and Riku-kun!” Sougo called out, making Riku turn around and look down at him from the middle of the stairs. “Mhm?” He asked. 

“If you see my thing laying around somewhere, come tell me, will you?” He asked, smiling sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. Riku nodded and forced a smile onto his face. “Sure thing!” He said. Sougo nodded and then got back to searching the floor and Riku immediately started hurrying back to his own room, where Iori, Nagi and Tamaki were, waiting for him to come back from the retirement home. 

The moment Riku entered the room, the other three all turned to him, shocked to see him back so soon. “That was quick.” Nagi pointed out. “Is everything alright? Did you forget something?” Iori asked. Riku shook his head. “Sara will have to wait, we have a different problem.” He said, making the others a bit anxious. 

Riku could see Iori, Nagi and Tamaki looking at him in anticipation, waiting for an explanation. So, Riku sat down and then turned to Tamaki. “Tamaki, please be honest with me now. Did you just happen to find the lost relic, or did you take it from Sougo-san’s bag?” Riku asked. 

Tamaki’s eyes widened in what Riku recognized as realization while Iori and Nagi continued to look confused. “Osaka-san? Why would Yotsuba-san have taken it from his bag?” Iori asked. “Because,” Riku started, eyes still locked on Tamaki. “He was apparently the one who found it after we dropped it at school. And yesterday, he supposedly lost it. He’s downstairs looking for it now. And the only one he supposedly showed it to was Tamaki.” Riku explained. 

Tamaki glanced to the side, now looking a bit guilty. “But we needed to get it back! And I know I’m bad at explaining and making excuses, so I didn’t want to just ask Sou-chan to give it back…” He explained. Riku sighed. “So, you basically stole it from his bag?” He asked. “It was ours in the first place…” Tamaki said with a pout. 

“Still, you should have discussed this with us first. There could have been a better way of dealing with it.” Iori said. Nagi nodded. “What about Sougo? You said he’s looking for the relic downstairs? Can we just leave him be? I mean, he’s not going to find anything.” Nagi said. 

Riku shook his head. “That’s the problem. Sougo-san isn’t going to just let this go, if he can’t find the relic, he plans to go to Tsukumo and tell him about it. We can’t risk that.” He explained. The others immediately turned more serious. “He’s going to go to Tsukumo? Why?” Tamaki asked. 

“To report it as missing!” Riku exclaimed. “And if Tsukumo learns the relic is still in the house, he’ll definitely figure out it was one of us who stole it from the safe.” He said. “That’s not good…” Tamaki said. “More like really horrible.” Nagi added and Riku nodded. 

“Okay, then we just have to make sure that Osaka-san doesn’t tell Tsukumo.” Iori stated, as if it was the easiest thing ever to just do. “And how would we do that?” Riku asked. “I figure we have two options.” Iori started. “Either, we tell him the truth and let him join us as well, or we tell him it was ours and then come up with some excuse that he may or may not believe. The risk with the second option is that he might become suspicious and make it more difficult for us in the future.” He explained. 

“I’m sorry guys…” Tamaki said, the others could tell from his expression that he honestly felt really guilty about it. “Well, we can’t change it now, all we can do is fix it. And that we will.” Iori said. Tamaki nodded. “Just, discuss what to do with us first, will you?” Iori then added and Tamaki nodded. “It’s all good, then.” Riku said and gave Tamaki a smile. 

“Now we just have to decide what to do about this, do we tell Sougo the truth or not?” Nagi asked. “I personally believe that it would be fine to tell Sougo, we’ve been classmates for a year and a half approximately, and I trust him.” Nagi added. 

“I’m also for telling Sou-chan the truth! He’s like, really responsible and smart and stuff.” Tamaki exclaimed. “Well, I do agree that he’s smart and trustworthy, but what do you think, Nanase-san? Is it worth it to tell one more person about the treasure?” Iori asked. 

Riku thought it over for a while, but soon nodded. “I do feel a bit bad about dragging yet another person into all of this, but I haven’t regretted telling any of you before, so I guess it should be fine with Sougo-san as well… Let’s tell him the truth.” Riku decided. The others nodded, and then they sent Tamaki down to get Sougo, so that they could explain the truth to him. 

Sougo seemed a bit confused when they called for him, and that confusion seemed to only intensify as they went along. He was a bit concerned over everything that they had done so far, what with all the trips up to the attic and breaking into Tsukumo’s office and all that, but he also seemed understanding when they reached the end. 

Tamaki had proceeded to apologize profoundly as they finished their explanation, but Sougo seemed understanding. In the end, he agreed to keep their secret just that, a secret. He also agreed to help them from there on out, he wasn’t sure how much help he would be, but he would do his best and would be honored to help them out. Riku, Iori, Nagi and Tamaki were all glad it had gone so well and they were all happy to have a new member of Sibuna. 

For the rest of the day, Iori, Tamaki and Nagi had tried to show Sougo all they had found, as well as explaining some things he wanted them to clear up. It was a lot to take in, so they were all understanding about needing to explain some parts multiple times. Sougo was intrigued, he thought the idea of the treasure was fascinating. Tamaki, however, found his lack of worry about everything surrounding Tsukumo, Kujou and the teachers a bit worrying. 

While this was happening at the house, Riku had gone ahead with his previous plans and gone to visit Sara. When he got there, however, Sara was really out of it. She mostly slept, and when she didn’t, she had no memory of Anubis House or the treasure. And so, after two hours of trying to get through to her, while also trying not to bother her while she slept, Riku gave up and decided to just return to the house. 

When he got there, he immediately went up to the others, who were currently in the midst of telling Sougo about the time when he had accidentally drunk what they had thought was the elixir, even though it turned out to be regular cleaning fluid. “Yeah, sorry about that, Sougo-san. I felt awful afterwards…” Riku said as he entered. 

They all turned to him, only then noticing that he had returned. Sougo smiled up at Riku. “It’s okay, really. It was an honest mistake and you hadn’t been meaning to hurt me. I don’t blame that on you.” He said. Riku nodded, but his smile was still a bit guilty. Riku wasn’t sure he could let what had happened then go so easily. 

Then Iori spoke. “It’s great that you’re back. Did you get any info from Sara?” He asked in curiosity. Riku sighed and then plonked down on the floor next to Iori while letting out a huge sigh. “Nope, nothing… She was asleep most of the time, and when she was awake, she just wasn’t in her right mind. Didn’t know anything I was talking about, I’m not even sure she recognized me.” Riku admitted, looking a bit glum as he did. 

“It’s okay.” Iori said as he reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s knee, rubbing comforting circles on there with his thumb all the while. “You know she needs you, and even though her mind isn’t in the best condition, I doubt she would actually forget you.” He pointed out, a small, yet comforting smile on his lips. 

Riku gave Iori a weak smile in return and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right, as usual… Thank you.” He said. It was obvious it was still bothering him a bit, but Iori could tell that Riku was already starting to get over it. That made Iori feel a bit at ease, he hated seeing Riku sad, after all. 

“Besides,” Iori kept going. “You could try again tomorrow, maybe she’ll be more talkative and clear-minded then?” He suggested. Riku brightened up then, this time it seemed like it fully got through to him. He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll just go back tomorrow. Really, thank you, Iori.” Riku said, a light flush on his cheeks that was mirrored on Iori’s own. 

The moment was broken buy the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Anyway…” Nagi said, fully breaking Iori and Riku out from their ow little world. The two took notice of the blonde man’s smirk but decided to try and ignore it. ‘Try’ being the keyword. “What are we supposed to do now? We still basically have no idea what to do about the second combination, and we can’t ask Sara for help until tomorrow…” Nagi continued. 

“Maybe Rikkun just needs to have another dream! Just like last time!” Tamaki suggested. Iori frowned. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea to put all of our trust into the possibility of dream-Sara returning with the second combination, we should try and come up with it ourselves.” He said, then turned to Riku. “If she does come back to you with a new code, though, let’s try that as soon as possible.” Iori added. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I get another visit from dream-Sara.” He said with a goofy smile. Iori nodded and then turned to the rest of them. “For now, I think maybe we should take a break. A lot happened today, especially for Osaka-san. Let’s just take some time and process it, yeah? Maybe we could wait until after Nanase-san visits Sara again tomorrow?” Iori suggested. 

“That would be appreciated, yeah…” Sougo admitted while coyly rubbing the back of his head. “It was interesting, but it was also a lot to take in.” He said. Tamaki also agreed that it was a good idea, and so they all decided to just do their own things for the rest of the day. 

However, as it turns out, they didn’t have to wait until the next day for some sort of development, because that same night, about an hour after dinner, their newest member seemed to come up with an idea. “Sou-chan, you said you came up with something, what is it?” Tamaki asked eagerly as they all made themselves comfortable, this time in Iori and Tamaki’s bedroom. 

“Well…” Sougo started, sounding a bit unsure. “I don’t actually know if this is right or not, it’s just something I recalled when thinking about what you said about the last combination. It consisted of five sets of two numbers, right? And the numbers could be anything from 01 to 20?” He wanted to clarify. 

Nagi nodded. “That’s right. And the combination to the first relic was 11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” He answered. Sougo nodded and then picked out a notebook that he started flipping through. “I remember last year, when Nagi-kun and I were working with Egypt and the like in history class, I did some extra research on my own because I found it interesting.” Sougo started explaining. The others all listened closely, intrigued in what Sougo had to say. 

“I remember one thing in particular, and because this thing we’re doing has a clear connection to ancient Egypt, I figured it might be worth to mention, at least.” Sougo continued. “Well?” Tamaki asked. “What is it?” He pressed, now impatient to hear what Sougo had to say. 

“I remember reading that the Egyptians were big on numerology, and they believed that every person had their own set of numbers that told them everything about themselves and their destiny. You calculate your five numbers, and from them you can supposedly learn everything there is to know about your personality, your future, relationships, work and the like.” Sougo explained. 

“If you think about it, it’s possible that is what we are dealing with here. It’s a technique that originates from the ancient Egyptians, and it contains five numbers. It’s possible that those numbers you used, 11, 01, 01, 19 and 15, are actually the five numbers belonging to a specific person.” Sougo suggested. 

The others all stared in awe at Sougo, amazed and fascinated by this new piece of information. “That would actually make sense… But whose numbers would they be?” Riku asked. Sougo frowned. “Well, as I found it so fascinating, I did actually learn how to read a persons numbers using their date of birth and full name given at birth for example, so I could try and figure out a bunch of people’s numbers and match them to the combination we have. That being said, it’s basically impossible to do it the other way, finding a person from the numbers will be difficult.” He explained. 

“I see…” Riku said, sounding a tad bit disappointed. However, Iori was very intrigued by this knowledge. “So, Osaka-san, if I gave you the date of birth and full name of a person, you could calculate what their numbers would be?” He asked. Sougo nodded in confirmation, which pleased Iori. “Then, do you think you could calculate the numbers of the Watanabes? Ritsu and Akiko, as well as their daughter, Sara.” Iori suggested. 

Sougo nodded and smiled, glad that he could be of use to them so soon after joining, even if it was something that he himself considered to be rather insignificant knowledge. It took a few minutes, but soon he had put together three sets of five numbers that belonged to the three members of the Watanabe family. 

As they observed it what Sougo had found, Tamaki grinned and slapped Sougo’s back in encouragement, though he may have used a bit too much force as Sougo started coughing. “Sou-chan you did it! And look, one set of numbers are the same as the first combination!” Tamaki exclaimed happily. 

Sougo smiled awkwardly, having just collected himself from the impromptu coughing fit he had gotten from Tamaki’s enthusiastic slap on the back. “That’s right. The numbers that opened the first relic belong to Watanabe Sara.” Sougo said. 

“So, is it possible that the second relic will open if we enter one of the other two combinations?” Nagi asked. Iori frowned. “It certainly is a possibility, but how would we know which one? I’d rather not risk another earthquake…” He said. 

“I think we should wait.” Riku said, making the others look at him in confusion. “Why is that, Rikkun?” Tamaki asked. Riku sighed. “I want to try asking Sara about this and the dream before we try and open the second relic. Then you guys can think of which one of these two combinations would be more likely while we wait. And then, tomorrow, once I’m back from the retirement home, we’ll try and open it.” Riku said. The others all agreed to that idea, and so it was decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then there were five... Sougo has now joined the gang! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Now, you may have noticed that I now have a set number of chapters for this fanfic, 41! And as I'm posting this, I'm just finishing writing chapter 40, meaning I'll most certainly have this fic finished later this week. With that said, I'm not going to post it all at the same time, but I want to start posting a bit more often, and so I have decided to start posting chapters on Mondays as well! So, starting next week, you'll get three updates every week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays! Although, it will be a bit different this week only, as I'll be going away this Saturday and be gone the entire day. That's why I'll post the chapter that was supposed to be out on Saturday on Friday instead! But that's only this week ^^ I hope that wasn't too confusing and that you all are okay with this schedule! I'm excited to get the remaining chapters of this fic out and I really hope that you are excited for it too! Thank you for reading, and and even BIGGER thank you to everyone who leaves me kudos, comments or who supports me in any other way, it really means the world to me! <3<3


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku goes to visit Sara again and asks her about the dream he had, and this time she gives him an idea about what to do next...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! If you didn't read the note at the end of my previous chapter, I'm posting today because I won't have time to do an update tomorrow, and I didn't want to leave you with no update at all ^^ With that said, I hope you will enjoy this chapter! If you have any questions or want to talk, you can contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next day, Riku decided to head straight to the retirement home the moment school was finished for the day. He had told Iori and Tamaki he was leaving, and they in turn said that they would meet up with Nagi and Sougo, and then they would all wait for Riku back at the house. Riku nodded and thanked them, and then he was off to see Sara.

Riku hadn’t had any more dreams after that, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He wasn’t even sure how he had received the correct combination to the first relic from a dream, something like that shouldn’t be possible. Not that it was the first surreal thing that had happened since they started with the search, the idea of eternal life and the locket that magically opened things only for Riku were right up there with the strange dream. 

When Riku finally got to the retirement home, he first greeted Tomiko, who in turn thanked him for visiting again. Walking through the place, Riku got greetings from many of the residents there, they started recognizing him pretty soon as he was one of the few students who regularly visited the place. Soon, Riku saw Sara’s familiar door and knocked. 

“Come in!” Said a muted voice from the other side of the door, and Riku followed those instructions, opening the door and smiling at Sara as he entered. Riku closed the door behind himself and then walked over and took a seat next to her. “Hello, Sara. How are you today?” He started to ask, trying to just get an idea of her mood that day. 

Sara reached out and grabbed ahold of Riku’s hand, squeezing it tightly and giving him a sad smile. “Oh, I am okay. But I’m tired, so tired. And there are still things I need to do.” She said, sounding a bit troubled. Riku could tell then that today was one of those days where she remembered and silently cheered. Maybe he would be able to get some help from her after all. 

“Are you talking about the Cup of Ankh? Is that what you still have to do, make sure it’s found and protected?” He asked. Sara looked at him and nodded. “But you are here now, so everything is going to be okay, I’m sure of it. I know that you, and only you, can do this.” She said. It was still a bit odd, thought Riku, that she was so convinced that it had to be him specifically. But then again, he was, for some reason, the only one who could use the locket, and the one who had had that strange dream. 

Speaking of the strange dream, maybe it was about time that he asked Sara about it. “Sara, can I ask you something?” Riku tried, he didn’t want to unload everything on the old lady too suddenly. Sara smiled and nodded. “The other day, I had a dream. A dream where I saw you, Sara. You were in my room and you gave me the answer to one of the puzzles we are solving. Was that just a dream? Or do you know anything about that?” Riku asked. 

For a minute, Sara just looked at him, seemingly thinking about the question. However, while she was silent, Riku started to doubt himself. “I’m sorry, that must have been confusing, I mean it’s impossible to actually visit someone in a dream…” He started excusing himself, but Sara stopped him by repeating the same numbers she had said in the dream. “11, 01, 01, 19, 15.” 

Riku’s eyes widened and he stared at her in shock. “Yes… Yes, that’s it, Sara! That’s what you told me in the dream!” He exclaimed happily. “Do you know what the second combination is? Please, we really need your help, Sara.” Riku asked her, he was really hoping that she would pull through, he didn’t want to just try numbers until they found the right ones, especially not with the possibility of starting another earthquake. 

However, Riku wasn’t sure whether or not Sara really understood, because instead of giving him the answer he wanted, the combination, she started talking about something else. “We are the same, you and me. That’s why we have to do it.” She said, which Riku didn’t really understand. 

Sara looked up at Riku again, her expression was sad, yet hopeful at the same time. “It’s you and me, Riku. We’re getting closer now, so close. But there’s still a lot that needs to be done. It’s you and me, only you and me.” She said. Riku sighed, he hadn’t gotten what he had asked for, but from the look in the old lady’s eyes, Riku had a feeling like she wasn’t as confused as she usually was. But then why hadn’t she just answered his question? Even if she hadn’t known the answer, she could have just said that. 

That’s when it hit him, what if Sara had been telling him the answer all along? Riku’s eyes widened as he had a crazy idea about what to do next. He turned to Sara and gave her a smile while squeezing her hand that was still holding his own. “I think I understand now Sara, thank you.” He said. “I’m going to find the cup, I promise. I will make everything right, just you wait.” He said. 

Sara smiled, let go of Riku’s hands and gestured to the door. “I knew I could leave it to you. Thank you, Riku. Now go, do what you have to do.” She said. Riku nodded and gave Sara one last smile before he left her and the retirement home behind, now heading back towards the house. He had an idea about what to do next, it was crazy and a part of him, the logical part, said that there was no way this could be right. But another part seemed to know that this had to be it. And so, he hurriedly made his way back to the House of Anubis and his friends, who were all waiting for him to return. 

Coming back to the house, Riku quickly announced that he was home (hopefully Tsumugi had heard him from the kitchen) and then started running up the stairs, throwing the door to his own room open in his excitement. Riku could clearly see that he had startled the others as he entered the room, which hadn’t been his intention at all, but he was both too exhilarated and nervous at the same time to care about having startled his friends. 

“Geez, Rikkun, you scared the shit out of us.” Tamaki said, he was standing up in front of Riku’s bed and there were papers all over the floor in front of him. Presumably he had stood up when Riku entered and had at the same time accidentally knocked over those papers. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Riku admitted sheepishly, closing the door behind him while the others all started to relax. 

Iori motioned for Riku to come over to where he was, and Riku did so, sitting down beside him on Nagi’s bed. “Are you okay? Why were you in such a hurry? What happened with Sara?” Iori asked, clearly concerned about why Riku had been in such a hurry. 

Noticing Iori’s worry, Riku quickly made sure to give the other boy a smile to start to reassure him. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I managed to talk to Sara today, and I think she actually understood what I said. She gave me an idea about what to do with the second relic.” Riku said happily. 

“Seriously?” Nagi asked. “She knew the second combination?” He continued. Riku then turned a bit sheepish as he shook his head. “Actually… I’m not sure.” He said. “What do you mean you’re not sure? Didn’t you say you knew the combination just now?” Tamaki asked in confusion. “Just let me explain, okay?” Riku answered and the others nodded. 

“When I first asked her about the dream I had, the only thing she did was repeating the numbers that opened the first one, but that was the only way Sara acknowledged my question. After that, she started talking about how she and I were the same, and how I had to be the one to find the treasure and stuff.” Riku explained. 

Riku could see frowns on both Tamaki, Nagi and Iori’s faces. Sougo was the only one who still looked rather calm. “So, after she repeated the numbers, she changed the subject to something different?” He wanted to confirm. Riku nodded. “Yes, that’s right.” He answered. 

“But you just said you had an idea about the second combination, right? How did you figure it out?” Iori asked. “Well…” Riku started. “I just had a thought, and it’s sort of crazy, I’m absolutely not sure if it’s the right thing or not. Logically, it makes no sense, but I just have this feeling that it is what we have to do.” He tried to explain. 

“And you’re sure you want to give it a shot, even though you’re not sure whether it’s right or not?” Iori asked, wanting confirmation before they moved on. Riku nodded determinedly. “I have to try, Sara is really counting on us to do this.” He said. 

Iori sighed and then reached into his pocket, pulling out the second relic that they had taken from Tsukumo’s safe, the one that had originally been inside of the clock, and then he handed it to Riku. “If you feel like it’s the right thing to do, I trust you.” He said. Riku smiled, took the relic and nodded, he almost felt overwhelmed by the amount of trust Iori seemed to put in him. He wasn’t going to lie, it felt really good, especially with his recent realization. 

“Are you all okay with this?” Riku then asked, turning to Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo, who all nodded and encouraged him to go ahead. “Just be prepared to reset it if you start a second earthquake.” Tamaki pointed out. Even though he had agreed to everything, he did look a tad bit worried about what was about to happen next. 

Riku took a deep breath before he started entering the numbers that he had calculated on the way back using the method Sougo had taught them the night before. He paused for a moment, just before the final number. _'This can’t be right, can it? It’s crazy to even think that it could work… So then, why do I have this feeling like this is it?'_ Riku thought before he gathered up all of his resolve and entered the final number. 

They all waited, and the atmosphere was tense. Luckily, there was no earthquake. However, nothing else seemed to happen either. Then, when Riku was about to give up and try something else, one of the pipes surrounding the square plate in the middle opened up, revealing a rolled-up piece of paper. It was the new riddle. 

Tamaki was the first one who snapped out of the shock from successfully opening the relic. “Rikkun, you did it! It opened!” He exclaimed happily, which also seemed to snap all of the others out of their stupor as well. “That was amazing, Riku!” Nagi said and patted his back. “Wow, I was so nervous. Is it always like this?” Sougo asked, to which Tamaki replied. “Yeah, I wish I could say you get used to it, but it’s always just as nerve-wracking…” 

Then Riku felt someone take ahold of his hand and he turned to see Iori smiling at him. “See, I told you we could trust you.” He said. Riku chuckled breathily, relieved that it had worked and happy about what Iori had said. Although, the combination still bothered him, he still couldn’t quite believe it had actually been right. 

“What does the note say?” Nagi soon asked the question they had all been wondering. “Just a second.” Riku said as he picked the note up and handed back the relic to Iori, who put it into his pocket. Riku opened the note and read what it said out loud. “Awaken the voice.” 

“Is that it?” Tamaki asked. Riku nodded and frowned. “Yeah, those three words is all it says.” He said. “Can I see that?” Iori asked. Riku agreed and handing him the note, now everybody had leaned in closer and were checking it really closely. “Could it be talking about the cylinders?” Iori suggested. “I mean, they are the only ‘voice’ I can think of that’s connected to the search for the cup.” He said. 

“Possibly.” Nagi agreed. “Didn’t you say you had them recorded? Should we listen to them and see if we find anything?” Sougo asked. Tamaki groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re interesting and all, but me, Iorin and Rikkun have listened to all of them at least three times! Do we really have to listen again?” He asked. 

“Maybe it’s not talking about what’s recorded on them, maybe it’s the cylinders themselves? Or maybe it’s the phonograph?” Sougo suggested. Iori nodded in thought. “That could be it, actually. After all, I don’t remember anything that could sound like our next riddle on the recordings, so maybe we would have better luck with going back to the attic and checking out the actual cylinders.” He agreed. 

Once more, Tamaki groaned. “That’s even worse! I hate the attic! It’s definitely haunted!” He complained. “No one is forcing you to come along.” Iori said with a deadpan expression. This got Tamaki to react. “No way! I am definitely going! It will be like the old times, when you, me and Rikkun still sat up there and listened to them! Right, Rikkun?” Tamaki said and turned to Riku with an expectant smile. 

However, Riku was spacing out, and only now did the others notice it. “Riku-kun?” Sougo asked, sounding concerned. “Nanase-san, what’s wrong?” Iori also asked when Riku didn’t respond to Sougo. 

Riku blinked and turned to them, finally snapping out of whatever stupor he had been in. “Sorry, I was just thinking a bit…” He said. Iori frowned. “About what? You don’t think we should go back to the attic and check on the cylinders?” He asked. 

Riku shook his head vigorously. “No, it’s not that! I think that sounds like a good plan! I was just… Still thinking about the combination I used to open the relic.” He admitted. “Oh yeah, whose was it? The numbers weren’t the same as either of the ones we calculated yesterday, so was it someone other than the Watanabes?” Sougo asked. 

Riku sighed and then nodded. “I first got the idea when I was talking to Sara. She told me the numbers that opened the first relic, which ended up being her own. After that, she told me that she and I were the same, which gave me the idea for the second combination, even though the thought was crazy…” He said. 

“What do you mean? Whose numbers did you use?” Iori asked. Riku gulped. “My own.” He said and then looked up at the others, his expression troubled. “My numbers opened the relic, a relic hidden in this house around ninety years ago.” 

“I still don’t understand how it’s possible that my numbers opened the relic, it doesn’t make any sense! My parents weren’t even born when these things were hidden!” Riku said. Right now, the gang had just gotten up to the attic and Tamaki was bringing out the phonograph and the box of cylinders from behind the fake wall. 

“It is really weird, but maybe it’s just a coincidence? Maybe it was originally somebody else’s numbers and you just happen to have the same? There’s not an infinite amount of numbers, so some people are bound to have the same numbers as others.” Sougo suggested while looking around the attic, it was his first time there after all. 

“If that is the case,” Iori started. “That could explain why Sara is so adamant about the fact that it has to be you who finds the treasure. And maybe even why the locket can only be used by you.” He said. Riku frowned and closed the hidden room again, since Tamaki had finished getting everything out. “Maybe… But based on everything we’ve learned, Sara must have been able to use the locket as well! And she and I don’t have the same numbers.” Riku argued. 

“Whatever the case.” Nagi said. “It doesn’t change what we have to do now. Maybe we shouldn’t let it bother us so much, it could be a coincidence, or it was all foretold and you were destined to find this treasure, I suppose.” He said, matter-of-factly. 

Riku stared at Nagi in disbelief. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one who seems to be magically connected to all of the weird stuff that happens here!” He exclaimed. Iori, who noticed that Riku was getting agitated, walked up to him and grabbed his shoulders. “Hey, calm down. It’s okay. I get that this is confusing and scary, but you’re not alone in this. We’ll figure this out, okay?” He said, trying to sound calm and collected as to not upset the redhead further. 

Riku took a deep breath and then nodded. “Okay… I’m sorry for getting upset…” He said. Iori shook his head. “Don’t apologize, it’s understandable that you’d be a bit shaken up. But for now, let’s try and focus on solving the new riddle, yeah?” He suggested. Riku smiled up at Iori. “You’re right. Let’s do that.” He said. Riku really was grateful for Iori being there for him all the time, he didn’t know if he would have been able to do any of this if he hadn’t been there. 

“Iorin, you’re the one who knows how to set up the phonograph! Come here and help me!” Tamaki called out then. Iori let go of Riku, turned around and headed over to help Tamaki. Riku, Nagi and Sougo also joined them, and if Riku made sure to sit extra close to Iori, no one pointed it out. 

“Okay, what exactly are we supposed to do now?” Nagi asked. “Well, ‘awaken the voice’ could mean listen to the cylinders, but we already have, so I’m not sure…” Iori said. “Maybe…” Sougo started. “It’s something you would only notice if you listened to them all?” He suggested. “Like what?” Tamaki asked, a frown on his face. 

Sougo shrugged, he hadn’t had the time to listen to them, so he had no idea what it could possibly be. Riku sighed. “Maybe we really should just try and listen to them again…” He suggested. Tamaki groaned but Iori and Nagi nodded. “That’s a start at least, and that way, Sougo gets to hear them too.” Nagi agreed. And so, that is what they did. 

They listened to the cylinders, Sougo stopped them after they heard Tsukumo. He hadn’t fully grasped just how creepy it would be to actually hear it, but now that he had, he understood why the others had been so freaked out by it. “Okay, there’s just one left now, right?” He asked. 

“Actually,” Iori said. “The last one is empty, there’s nothing recorded on it.” He pointed out. “What?” Sougo asked in confusion. “Like I said, it’s empty, so there’s nothing to listen to. We’re done.” Iori repeated. Sougo’s brows furrowed in thought, as if something wasn’t quite right. “Sou-chan, what’s up?” Tamaki asked. 

“I just found it a bit weird is all…” Sougo admitted. “Why would there be an empty cylinder in there too? Would they really put it in there if it didn’t serve a purpose?” He asked. At that moment, Nagi’s eyes widened in realization and he reached out and grabbed the final cylinder, the one that was empty. “What if it does serve a purpose? Sougo’s right, why would they just put an empty cylinder there? I bet there’s something here.” He said. 

Iori frowned. “We already listened to that multiple times. I’m telling you, there’s nothing recorded on it.” He clarified. “But what if it’s not about a recorded message?” Nagi asked, then he opened the box that held the final cylinder and took it out and inspected it. “Aha!” He exclaimed as he started scratching on the inside of it before pulling out three pieces of paper that had been stuck there. 

Nagi held them up triumphantly. “Found it!” He said happily. Riku gasped and reached for them. One of the papers was a plain black one, that was most likely there to make it appear as if there was nothing stuck to the inside of the cylinder. The next one was a paper that looked similar to those that held the previous clues. “To find the secrets of the past look beyond this world through glass.” Riku read out loud. 

“We have our next clue! Nagicchi, Sou-chan, that was great!” Tamaki complimented. Nagi grinned and Sougo smiled coyly, happy to have been able to help, despite only joining them recently. “What about that other thing? Wasn’t there a third paper?” Iori asked, turning to Riku as he was the one with the papers. 

Riku nodded and pulled out the final piece of paper, which turned out to be an old newspaper article. “It’s an article from 1960, it’s about Watanabe Sara donating her parents’ villa to the then newly established Yaotome Academy.” Riku explained. “So, the house was donated in 1960?” Nagi asked and Riku nodded. 

Iori frowned. “Why would that be in there though?” He asked. That was when Riku noticed the picture that accompanied the article. “Guys, look at this…” He said and held out the article for all to see. The picture was taken outside of the House of Anubis, where three people were standing, one of them must have been a much younger Sara, and behind her were two men that they all recognized instantly. 

“Is that… Tsukumo? And Kujou Takamasa? They both look exactly the same as they do now, they haven’t aged a day.” Nagi stated. “I don’t get it, didn’t they need the Cup of Ankh in order to become immortal? Then why haven’t they aged?” Tamaki asked. 

“It must have to do with the elixir. They won’t age as long as they keep drinking it, but in order to make its effects permanent, they need to drink the elixir from the Cup of Ankh.” Riku speculated. Iori nodded in agreement. “Yes, I bet that’s why they want it, so that they won’t have to keep drinking the elixir all the time.” He said. 

“This tells us a few things. First of all, Tsukumo really does have some of the elixir, probably down in the basement. Secondly, while both Tsukumo and Kujou did, Sara must not have been drinking from it. After all, she has aged just like everybody else.” Riku said. 

“Didn’t she tell you before that her and Kujou Takamasa were childhood friends? This explains how that would be possible. They weren’t just the ramblings of an old, delusional woman after all.” Iori said. Riku smiled and nodded, but then he turned serious again. “I wonder why Sara believes it’s so important not to let them get ahold of the Cup of Ankh… I mean, I don’t particularly want Tsukumo and Kujou to become immortal, but what would happen? What is she so afraid of?” He asked. 

“Well…” Iori started. “I did some reading on the cup, and some of the stories claims that there is a curse on it, a curse that activates once somebody drinks from it. Maybe that’s what Sara wants to prevent?” He suggested. Riku nodded. “Yeah, maybe…” He said. 

“This doesn’t change anything, you know.” Iori said, making Riku look at him, his eyebrows furrowed in question. “We still have to find the cup before anyone else does, and then protect it. Just because some old guys want it to become immortal, we’re not giving up.” He clarified. Riku grinned then and agreed fully. 

“Besides,” Nagi said, making them all turn to him. “We have a new riddle now, and it feels like we’re getting pretty close, doesn’t it?” He asked, both looking and sounding excited. Riku grinned right back and nodded. “It really does. Let’s focus on solving it so that we can find this cup as soon as possible.” He said. They were all really pumped up to keep going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! Did you like it? I hope you did! I'll be back on MONDAY with teh next one, because if you missed it, starting next week I'll start to update this fic on Mondays as well as Wednesdays and Saturdays, so I hope you're all looking forward to getting more of this fic! Thank you for reading and for leaving kudos and comments! <3<3


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukumo overhears Riku and the others talking and realizes that an old friend was much closer than he could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's Monday, and as I said, I'll start posting on Mondays starting today, so I hope you're excited! I've actually really looked forward to this specific chapter, as it is a bit different. It's a chapter that is told entirely from Tsukumo and Sara's perspectives. It's an insight into their pasts and relationship! I hope you will enjoy it! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can find me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

All of a sudden, there was a loud noise and Tsukumo bolted awake. He sat up and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. He had left the door to his office open, and so he soon heard some muted voices in the distance. “Those brats… What are they doing up and about?” He whispered annoyedly as he stood up and carefully followed the sound of the voices.

“Yotsuba-san, you need to be more careful with the door! What if Tsukumo found out we sneaked back up there?” Tsukumo heard the voice of Izumi Iori say. So, it was him and Yotsuba Tamaki running around? And they had been up to the attic? Tsukumo was just about to go and give them a piece of his mind when he heard more voices. “Stop it you guys, I think we’re okay, it wasn’t that loud.” The voice of Nanase Riku said. Tsukumo frowned, ever since that boy had arrived, the others had really started acting up, and Tsukumo was positive the redhead was the main reason for it. 

Tsukumo decided to wait and listen to what they had to say, maybe he would learn why they had broken his rules and decided to go up there in the first place. “Either way, it’s getting late and we should really get to bed now. We still have school tomorrow after all.” Osaka Sougo said next. _'Huh, hadn’t expected him to be there with them'_. Tsukumo thought to himself. “Sougo is right, sleep is very important.” This time, the voice belonged to Rokuya Nagi. 

“We’ll keep looking into all of this tomorrow.” Iori said. “I would also like to visit Sara again, to show her that picture we found. But we’ll be busy tomorrow, so I don’t think I’ll be able to go until the day after that.” Riku said. Now this intrigued Tsukumo. _'Sara? It couldn’t be… But if it is, does that mean that Sara has returned? And it’s not the first time Nanase Riku visits her… Maybe I should have a little look at what he has been up to.'_ Tsukumo thought before he decided to sneak back to his office, and when Iori and Tamaki sneaked past him, he pretended to be asleep. He could call them out on their mischief another time. 

Once he was sure they had all gone to their respective rooms, Tsukumo sat up and brought out the logbook where he kept all information about the students leaving campus. Most of the time, it was Tsumugi who filled it out and he didn’t bother to check. Now however, he was really glad he kept it. If Riku had visited his old friend Sara, Tsukumo would find out when and where. 

Looking through the logbook, the only thing he could find was Riku going to the retirement home located just outside of the school ground in order to visit someone named Emi. Tsukumo frowned, the name wasn’t right, and was it really possible that Watanabe Sara was hiding so close without him having noticed? Maybe he would have to pay the retirement home a little visit in the morning… 

The moment the boys left the house, Tsukumo let Tsumugi know that he would be going out for a while before leaving the house. While he had definitely passed it before, Tsukumo had never once visited the retirement home, he had never had a reason to. But now that he thought about it, Sara being there actually made a lot of sense. Even after she decided to donate the house, she had told him that she could probably never really let go of it, there was just too much history there for her. 

Now standing outside of the retirement home, Tsukumo hesitated. Maybe Sara would react badly upon seeing him, maybe it would cause a stir, and that was the last thing Tsukumo wanted right now. After all, he hadn’t seen the woman for over fifty years, and they hadn’t left things in a very good way. 

Thinking back to the time leading up to Sara’s departure from Anubis House brought up something else in Tsukumo’s mind. Did Takamasa know about Sara? Tsukumo had discussed trying to find her and ask her about the cup with him a few times, and the first few times he had agreed, but then, around twenty years ago, he had suddenly started avoiding talking about their old acquaintance. But if he did know her whereabouts, why had he kept it from Tsukumo? 

Tsukumo sighed, he didn’t have time to think about Takamasa and his schemes, that man had long since lost his mind and if it was possible, Tsukumo would cut all ties with him. That being said, it seemed like that would be impossible until they got their hands on the cup. If Tsukumo could talk to Sara one more time, maybe his chances of finding the cup before their time ran out would increase. Maybe he could even defy Takamasa if he had it in his possession. 

And so, with determined steps Tsukumo walked up to the retirement home, opened the door and stepped inside. In the logbook, it said that Nanase Riku had visited an old lady going by the name Fushimi Emi. Now, Tsukumo was aware it wasn’t right, but based on the conversation he had overheard, he was willing to take his chances. 

“Hello, I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before. Are you here to visit someone? Or maybe you came here for something else?” Tsukumo turned around as one of the workers came up to him. She was a middle-aged woman who was apparently named ‘Tomiko’, based on her nameplate. 

“Ah, yes. I’m here to visit and old friend, I haven’t seen her in years and I most recently found out that she was staying here! It is odd how blind one gets to their own surroundings, I’ve lived just minutes away from here for years and never knew she stayed here.” Tsukumo said, trying to sound as polite as he could, which didn’t happen all that often, but he didn’t want to risk being kicked out. 

“I see. Yes, you really do tend to become blind when it comes to your own home. Who is it you would like to visit?” Tomiko asked. “Her name is Fushimi Emi. She is a resident here, right?” Tsukumo asked. Tomiko smiled and nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s very thoughtful of you to come see her, she doesn’t get many visitors. Until recently, only one person seemed to come, and he only visited two or three times a year.” Tomiko explained. 

“Oh yeah? Who visits her? If it’s another old friend I might know them.” Tsukumo inquired, if the person she was talking about was who Tsukumo thought it was, then that would confirm that Takamasa knew about Sara already. 

“You know what?” Tomiko started. “I can’t quite recall his name. But he’s tall and slim, very pale with dark hair that partially covers his equally dark eyes.” She described the man who used to visit, and the fact that it all seemed to fit Takamasa’s description told Tsukumo everything he needed to know. 

Tsukumo was annoyed that the other man had lied to him for years, but he also wasn’t surprised at all. He knew very well that Takamasa thought of him as incompetent most of the time, if Tsukumo’s father hadn’t found the secret to the elixir in the first place, he was certain that Takamasa wouldn’t bother to keep him around. He was probably hoping that he could mimic his father’s recipe if they ran out, which they were currently at a risk of doing, unless they found the cup in time. 

Tsukumo shook his head, if he started thinking about that know, it would definitely start to show on his face. Maybe then they really would kick him out of the retirement home. He cleared his throat and turned back to Tomiko. “You mentioned that he was the only one until recently, has Emi gotten more visitors lately?” He then asked, although he already knew the answer. 

“Ah, yes! A student from Yaotome Academy started visiting a few months back! He’s been coming by a lot, which I think has been very good for Emi. She has had more energy than before and she seems happier, almost at peace. Before, she somehow looked troubled, as if she had things left undone.” Tomiko explained. 

Tsukumo frowned and nodded, he just couldn’t understand what that boy, Nanase Riku, had to do with all of this. His arrival had made everything change around here. Takamasa got antsy, Sara suddenly appears again (though she had already been there for a long time), Kujou Tenn, the boy that would give them what they sought, had been taken away for “safe keeping”, and suddenly everything Tsukumo thought he knew about the treasure seemem to change. 

“Anyway,” Tomiko said, interrupting Tsukumo’s train of thought. “I’ve kept you quite long enough, I’ll take you to Emi right now.” She said with a smile. Tsukumo forced himself to return the smile, thanked Tomiko and followed her to a closed door down a hallway. Tomiko knocked but received no answer, and so she carefully opened the door. “Emi?” She asked. 

Tsukumo got a good look of the room from where he was standing, and there, in the middle of the room was a bed, and in it lay an old woman. Now, Tsukumo was aware that he hadn’t met Sara for over fifty years, but he had known her all her life up to that point, there was no chance he would mistake her for someone else. The woman who lay in the bed was undoubtedly Watanabe Sara. 

“I’m sorry, it seems she has fallen asleep.” Tomiko said as she closed the door and gave Tsukumo an apologetic look. “It’s quite all right.” He said, and then he got an idea. “In fact, I have a request. Right now, I am living in Emi’s old childhood home. It’s only about a seven-minute walk away from here, if she’s feeling up to it, why don’t you bring her over there for lunch? I’d love to reminisce about a few things and seeing the place might help jog her memory.” Tsukumo suggested. 

Tomiko lit up. “That sounds wonderful! Of course, I’d have to check with Emi first, see if she has the energy to make a visit and if she even wants to.” She said. “Tell you what, why don’t you give me your number and address and I’ll text you when I know more?” The lady suggested. 

Tsukumo smiled graciously and nodded. “I would appreciate that very much.” He said before writing down his number and address for Tomiko. “Great, then I’ll let you know as soon as I can.” She said. 

After that, Tsukumo left the retirement home behind. Hopefully, Sara would feel up to the visit, he really wanted to talk to her before the brats could pay her another visit. 

Much to Tsukumo’s delight, it was only an hour and a half later that he got a phone call from the lady who worked at the retirement home, saying that “Emi” would love to pay him and the house a visit and that he could expect them there in about an hour. Tsukumo thanked her and said that they were welcome anytime, then he got to work. 

Tsukumo was fiddling with some things around the house, trying to make it look as similar to how it did when Sara still lived there as possible, hoping that would make it more likely for her to remember. He was suddenly very grateful that Tsumugi along with those brats had put up the chandelier again. Tsukumo also went into the kitchen, found some cookies stored away and put on some tea. 

When he heard someone knocking on the front door, Tsukumo hurriedly checked the mirror and straightened out his lapels before walking across the entranceway and opening the door for his guest, a polite smile forced onto his lips. “Hello again!” Tomiko greeted. “This was such a wonderful idea! The residents at the home rarely get to go out, so this is a very nice change of pace.” She said. 

Tsukumo chuckled bashfully. “Oh, speak nothing of it. I feel ashamed it took me this long to be able to do this.” He said. Tomiko just smiled and shook her head in reply. “You shouldn’t. But either way, I’ll be going now, I’ll be back in forty minutes to pick Emi up and take her back to the home. I’ll leave her in your hands until then.” Tomiko explained. 

“Yes, well, enjoy your break. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take good care of Emi here.” Tsukumo answered and then waved to Tomiko as she left the house. He heard the door close behind her and then it was just him and Sara. (Tsukumo had asked Tsumugi to leave the house while Sara visited, so she wasn’t there for the time being.) 

Tsukumo turned to Sara, though he had to admit, he wasn’t sure what to do or say now that they were alone. She was just sat there, staring down the hallway in front of her, her eyes full of nostalgia and a small smile adorned her lips, as if she was reminiscing about something good. 

Tsukumo joined her, and soon, memories of two children, a boy and a girl, running around and playing hide and seek started playing before his eyes. The girl hid behind the armchair that was stood in the entranceway while the boy was looking for her, calling out her name, hoping to hear something that would give her away. A giggle, maybe, or perhaps a small gasp as she realized he was close. 

The little girl was Sara, and the little boy was himself. Tsukumo’s father had been the original caretaker of Anubis House, he looked after it whenever the Watanabes left on one of their excavations. When Tsukumo was just a child, he usually accompanied his father and stayed at the house too, and it was at that time that he first befriended Sara. 

The two kids would play a lot, they had fun together, despite the fear that came with being the only two in a house with Tsukumo’s father. Let’s just say, he wasn’t a very nice man. Tsukumo had almost forgotten how well he and Sara had gotten along as children but having her here now had brought those memories back. 

Tsukumo shook his head, thus pulling himself back to reality. He then knelt down in front of the wheelchair Sara was sat in and gave her a careful smile. “Sara…” He said her name, not sure what else to do. Sara looked up at him, and then she smiled. “Ryou.” She stated, as if she was truly glad to see him. 

Tsukumo nodded and then he moved so that he could push her wheelchair into the living room. “I’ll go get some tea and cookies, just make yourself comfortable, alright?” He offered. Sara smiled and nodded before she started looking around the room. Tsukumo, who was now in a better mood than he could remember being in for many years, moved into the kitchen to get the tea and cookies. 

When he looked out into the living room again, he saw Sara looking around, but the happy and gentle expression from before was gone, now she almost looked sad. That was when Tsukumo started recalling a different memory, something that occurred a few weeks after the last one. 

Tsukumo could see seven-year-old Sara sitting in one of the couches in the living room, staring into the fireplace. Her face told him that she already knew that something was wrong, she seemed worried. Then Tsukumo entered the room behind his father, who stared down at Sara almost triumphantly. 

Tsukumo couldn’t remember the exact words his father said that day, but he knew that Sara had just been told her parents had passed away. That there had been a car accident and that she would never see them again. Sara started crying and then ran away. Tsukumo remembered how he had wanted to follow his friend but had been stopped by his father who proceeded to tell him off, saying he wasn’t to speak to Sara as a friend ever again. 

And who was Tsukumo to refuse his father? He still remembered the stinging pain on his cheek after he had misbehaved, the fear of what his father might do if he disobeyed him. Sara, who had once been his best and only friend, probably hated him, and this must have been the moment everything changed between them. 

Tsukumo sighed. After her parents died, it was decided that Tsukumo’s father would take care of the house until Sara turned 18, which was when she was legally allowed to take over ownership of the place. Tsukumo also remembered his father telling him to keep an eye on Sara. The three of them lived together in Anubis House, his father became totally obsessed with the idea of living forever and a treasure that he believed Sara’s parents had hidden in the house. That they had hidden it from him. 

Shaking his head again, Tsukumo grabbed the tray with the snacks on and headed back into the living room, now back in the present. Sara turned to him, she must have heard him coming. Her face was still a bit sad, and was that fear that flashed across her face for an instant? Was she scared of him? Sure, he had ignored her after her parents died, in fear of his own father, but he didn’t think he had done something to scare her so bad. 

That was when he remembered, and simultaneously cursed how similar he must look to his father. He had always taken after him, appearance wise at least. And while Sara probably hadn’t been scared of Tsukumo, she had most definitely been scared of his father. He would know, he had been just as scared as her as a child. 

Tsukumo sat down in front of Sara and was relieved when she seemed to relax. Maybe she realized who he actually was. Well, now that they were there, maybe it was time to get to whole reason why he had invited her in the first place. “Sara…” Tsukumo said as he scooted closer and grabbed ahold of her hand. 

Sara looked up at him curiously, she still hadn’t said a word since arriving, other than his name earlier in the entranceway. Tsukumo braced himself and then he asked her what he had been meaning to all along. “Sara, I need your help. Can’t you please tell me where it is hidden? I need to find what your parents left behind, and I’m running out of time to do so. Please, won’t you help me? For old times sake?” He asked, trying to remain calm and not sound too desperate. 

Sara’s expression morphed into one of pity as he said this, and she then gripped his hands tighter in her own. “Oh Ryou… Don’t make the same mistakes your father did. Don’t obsess over it anymore, for you will not find your happiness with that treasure. I wish I could tell you, but what my parent left behind was never meant for you.” She said. 

Tsukumo frowned, he immediately turned annoyed and impatient. He glared at Sara. “Why? Why am I not good enough?! Why won’t you let me do this one thing right?! You’re just a selfish old woman who doesn’t want to share what her disgustingly rich parents left you! You had everything! Money! Friends! A mother and father who cared for you, who didn’t treat you like trash! Why is it still you that puts a stop to what I need to do?!” He yelled at her, having gotten a bit too emotional due to all of the memories coming back to him. 

However, Sara didn’t look angry or sad with him, she just smiled and kept a strong grip on his hand that he hadn’t even realized was still in hers. Tsukumo was panting hard and took a minute to just calm down. However, that was when a knock was heard from the front door. Tsukumo frowned and looked at the clock. He must have spent longer than he thought reminiscing, because forty minutes had already passed, and the one who was at the door was surely Tomiko who had come to take Sara back. 

Tsukumo decided to make one last attempt to get through to her. “Please Sara, just tell me something, it doesn’t have to be specific, just something to get me started.” He begged. But Sara wasn’t having it. She shook her head, the same calm and gentle smile as before splayed on her lips. Tsukumo sighed and stood up before going over to the door and letting Tomiko inside. 

Tomiko asked him how it had gone and Tsukumo said it had been great, after which he went back to get Sara and help her back to Tomiko. Just as the two women were leaving however, Sara turned around and looked at Tsukumo. “Ryou… Remember, you are not your father, you never were. You were my best friend, and I forgive you. I hope you will be able to find your own happiness.” She said. 

Tsukumo’s eyes widened and he could do nothing but stare as Tomiko wheeled Sara out of the house and closed the door behind her. That was when a third memory started playing. Three years after the death of Sara’s parents, things changed again. Tsukumo’s father went missing, some said he died, some said he ran away, but without him around, Sara and Tsukumo weren’t allowed to stay in the House of Anubis anymore. They were only ten years old after all. 

Their last day at the house, the Kujou family, who had been close friends and colleagues with Sara’s parents, had come to pick Sara up, she was to stay with them until she turned 18 and could move back into Anubis House. Tsukumo was to go and live with relatives on his mothers side of the family. 

Sara was the first one to leave, since the ones who would pick Tsukumo up were running late. The Kujou family were already waiting for her outside, but before she left, Sara turned around and looked at Tsukumo one last time. She looked sad, almost disappointed. “I’m sorry about your father.” She said, which shocked Tsukumo, neither of them had liked him, and they both knew it. “I hope you grow to become a better man than he was.” Sara then added before leaving him and the house behind. 

Tsukumo didn’t know whether he had grown to become a better man than his father, he had definitely followed in his footsteps, attempting to brew more elixir even though he didn’t know his father’s recipe, trying to find the treasure, the key to immortality. They shared the same goals, but Tsukumo liked to believe he hadn’t fully adapted his ways. Had he? He honestly couldn’t tell anymore, and he wasn’t sure were to start if he were to ever try and change his ways. 

But one thing was certain, having Sara’s forgiveness had been a huge load off his shoulders, one he hadn’t even realized he was carrying. All these years later, he was actually happy to find that somewhere deep down, he had still cared about the woman that used to be his best friend. He just regretted the fact that he couldn’t do what she wanted him to and give up. There was too much at stake. 

As the worker at the home where she stayed wheeled her home, Sara looked up at the sky, watching the clouds pass her by. She hadn’t realized that she needed to come back to her childhood home, that there had been anything else left for her there. But now that she had settled things with her old friend, at least they were settled on her part, the world seemed so much brighter. 

She had passed on the quest left for her by her parents to someone she trusted, someone she knew could do what she never had the courage and strength to finish. She had finally gone back to her roots, faced her fears and told one of the people that mattered to her while growing up what she believed he needed to hear. She had no regrets, and she was no longer scared to leave everything in Riku’s hands. 

Sara had a feeling that everything was going to work out in the end, she felt more at peace than ever since that dreadful night her parents had passed away. She was no longer scared to join them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Maybe Tsukumo isn't so bad as I led you to believe after all...? What did you think? I hope you liked it! I'll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter. ^^ Thank you for reading, and also for leaving kudos and comments. <3


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku dreams about Sara again, and when he wakes up, there are some upsetting news...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again guys! I'm back with the next chapter! Now, this one gets pretty emotional, so be prepared... I still hope you like it! ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can find me over on twitter: @EFagerhag

“Riku…”

 _'What was that? Is someone calling out to me?'_ Riku thought. He was asleep and honestly just wanted to bury himself deeper into the duvet rather than waking up. “Riku…” He heard again. This time, Riku groaned and pulled the covers of his bed up over his head, hoping whoever was trying to wake him would take the hint and just go away for another hour or so. 

However, that did not happen. “Riku…” The voice said again, and this time Riku started feeling more awake. More importantly, it’s was a woman’s voice, so it wasn’t one of his friends trying to wake him. Riku frowned and finally pushed the covers away before sitting up. 

Riku’s eyes widened as he saw Sara sitting at the edge of his bed, surrounded by the same light glow as the last time when she had visited him in a dream and told him the first combination. Riku blinked and looked around the room, but for some reason he struggled to focus on anything that wasn’t Sara. He must be dreaming again. Did that mean Sara had come to help once more? Would she tell him the answer to the next riddle? Riku was immediately more alert than before. 

“Sara, you’re back…!” He exclaimed happily as he scooted closer and reached for her hand. Sara grabbed it and smiled at him. “I wanted to say thank you, and also, I’m sorry.” Sara said, which confused Riku a bit. “What? Sara why are you apologizing AND thanking me? What for?” He asked, a small but confused smile on his face. 

“I thank you for helping me, and I apologize for having bestowed something this big unto you. But I know you can do it, I trust you, which is why I don’t have any regrets about leaving this quest in your hands.” Sara said. Something about that didn’t sit right with Riku, what exactly was Sara trying to tell him? 

That was when Sara let go of Riku’s hand and stood up, which made Riku frown. “I must go now.” Sara said as she stepped closer, now standing right in front of him and looking down at his face, her own expression gentle. “The quest is now yours, it is no longer mine.” She then said before leaning down and pressing a light kiss on Riku’s forehead. 

Riku swallowed around the lump that was forming in his throat. Sara turned around and started walking away. Riku shook his head. “Sara? Wait, don’t go! I still need you! Sara!” He called out in desperation. Something was wrong, why did it sound like she was saying goodbye? Riku didn’t like this, he didn’t like it at all. 

“Come back… Please, come back, Sara!” He called out, but she only kept walking further and further away from him. “Sara!” Riku called one last time before he awoke to the beeping of his alarm. 

Riku slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight from the window hitting his face and making him blink and groan. He reached out towards his bedside table until his hand found the beeping clock that had brought him back to reality. Riku sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked over at Nagi’s bed, which was empty, meaning he had either already headed down to breakfast or was currently in the shower. 

As Riku got up and started getting ready, he had this sinking feeling as if something was wrong. Why had he dreamt about Sara again? Was it like last time, or was this just something his mind had made up? He wasn’t sure, but for some reason, he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach as if there was something that wasn’t quite right. He would have to ask Sara himself when he visited her that afternoon once school ended. 

As soon as he finished getting dressed, Riku started making his way downstairs. He could hear voices from the dining room, so most of the others were probably there already. However, Riku didn’t get to join them, because Tsumugi came up to him with a troubled expression and stopped him from going any further. 

“Tsumugi? What’s up?” Riku asked from where he was still stood at the bottom of the stairs. Tsumugi reached out and pushed Riku to sit down in the armchair next to the staircase before she knelt down and placed a hand in what Riku assumed to be comfort on his knee. “Riku-san, I got a phone call this morning, and there’s something you need to know.” She said. 

Riku frowned and nodded, the bad feeling from this morning suddenly intensified. Tsumugi took a deep breath before continuing. “The call was from one of the workers at the retirement home. That lady you’ve been visiting, Fushimi Emi, it seems she passed away last night. I’m really sorry.” Tsumugi explained. 

A part of Riku had already guessed what Tsumugi was going to say, what with Sara’s strange visit in his dream that morning, but it still didn’t make it any easier on him. He hadn’t wanted to believe that was possible. Riku could feel the tears running down his cheeks and he took a shaky breath before nodding. 

Tsumugi started stroking his knee, hoping to offer some comfort. “If you don’t feel up for school right now, I could call them and let them know you’re not feeling well. I would understand if you would want some time to process this.” Tsumugi offered. 

Riku nodded, he didn’t trust himself to try and speak, afraid he would completely break down if he did. The thought of Sara being gone hurt, it hurt really bad. Not only had they lost the only one who could provide them with help and answers, but Riku had lost a friend. Was this why everyone was talking about running out of time? Did they know Sara would die soon? Did that mean they had failed because they hadn’t been able to find the treasure before she left them? 

Tsumugi had left, probably to make the call to the school in order to alert them of Riku’s absence that day. When she returned, she reached out and took ahold of his hand. “There was one more thing. It seems Emi wanted you to have something. She left you a box of some of her possessions. If you’d like, I can go with you to pick it up later this afternoon?” She offered. 

_'Sara left me something? Could it be related to the search?'_ Riku thought. He nodded and tried to thank Tsumugi for offering to come along, although it probably didn’t sound anything like “thank you” with the way his voice was shaking. Tsumugi nodded and said that it was no problem. “Do you need anything else? Do you want me to help you back to your room? Or do you want to come and eat something?” She offered. 

Riku shook his head. “I’ll… try and eat later… I think…” He managed to get out between sobs. He didn’t want to go eat with the others, he didn’t want them all to see just how big of a mess he was right now. However, he also didn’t want to be alone. And so, he reached out for Tsumugi, who raised an eyebrow in question and concern. “Could you… Could you get Iori?” He asked. Tsumugi smiled and nodded. 

It was only a few seconds until Riku saw Iori coming out of the dining room. Iori looked concerned as he walked over, and Riku just broke down then and there. Without standing up, he reached out and grabbed onto Iori’s shirt, wrapped his arms around his friends waist, buried his face in his chest and just cried. 

Since Tsumugi had only told Iori that Riku had wanted to speak with him, Iori hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly hadn’t been this. He didn’t know what was wrong, what had upset Riku, but his heart ached for him. “Nanase-san? What happened?” Iori asked as he started stroking his back, hoping it would offer at least a little comfort. 

Riku opened his mouth, but whatever he had said came out muffled against Iori’s shirt, thus the raven-haired boy had no idea what he had said. “What?” He asked. Riku let go of Iori and pulled away, his eyes were swollen, his cheeks were wet with tears and there was something in his eyes that just broke Iori’s heart. 

“It’s… It’s Sara… Iori, she d-died last night.” Riku managed to get out in between sobs. Iori’s eyes widened in shock. “Sara… died? Are you serious?” He asked in disbelief. Riku nodded and kept crying. Iori now understood perfectly well why Riku was so upset, he had definitely been the one closest to Sara, he was always the one who visited her and so on. Iori had only met her once, and while he was sad to see her go, he didn’t care for her nearly as much as Riku did. 

“Come here.” Iori said as he pulled Riku to his feet and then wrapped his arms around the redhead’s torso, holding him close and just letting him cry as much as he needed to. Iori couldn’t bring Sara back, but he could try and offer Riku as much comfort as he needed. Riku wrapped his own arms around Iori’s shoulders and buried his head in the nook between his shoulder and neck. 

For a few minutes the two boys just stood there, Iori letting Riku cry on his shoulder while rubbing his back and whispering reassuring things to him. Soon, Iori could hear that the other guys were starting to finish over in the dining room, and since he assumed Riku would want some privacy right now, he offered to take him back up to his room. Riku nodded in agreement. 

When they got up there, the two of them sat down, side by side on Riku’s bed, Iori wrapped one arm around Riku’s shoulders, pulling him closer and letting the redhead lean his head on his shoulder again. Riku snuggled in closer, feeling comfortable in Iori’s hold. Riku had calmed down a little bit by now, tears were still threatening to spill from his eyes any second, but his breathing had stabilized at least. 

“Maybe you should stay home from school today? We’d need to leave in about ten minutes and you don’t really seem to be in a good state for school right now…” Iori suggested. Riku sniffled and nodded weakly. “I know, I already had Tsumugi call them…” He answered. 

“That’s good…” Iori said, however, he was still a bit concerned. Riku still looked really upset, and Iori was also a bit scared that he’d trigger his condition because he was upset. “Do you… want me to stay here with you? I just thought… You know, maybe you’d prefer not to be alone right now?” Iori offered. 

Riku looked up at Iori, a slightly guilty expression on his face. “But… You shouldn’t have to miss school because of me…” He tried to argue. Truth is, Riku did sort of want Iori to stay, he didn’t at all like the thought of being alone with his thoughts all day. 

“It’s no problem, really. If you want me here, then I won’t go anywhere. I can just ask Yotsuba-san to take notes for both of us.” Iori argued. Riku snorted. “You would trust Tamaki to take notes? You’re as perfectionistic as one can be, his notes are kind of… for a lack of a better word, bad.” Riku pointed out. 

“Well,” Iori started, a small flush starting to form on his cheeks. “You matter more to me than having good notes… Besides, it’s only one day, so it’s really not that big of a deal.” He said. Riku smiled up at him, there was still sadness in his eyes, but at least he looked a little better now. 

“If that’s the case,” Riku said. “I’d really like you to stay.” Iori nodded and then left Riku for a minute to talk to Tsumugi about it. She understood perfectly well that Riku needed some company and immediately called the school once more. Iori also took this chance to tell Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo about what had happened. Tamaki promised to take notes for them and Nagi and Sougo offered to stop by a café after school and buy Riku some sweets. 

Iori went back upstairs then, but he brought along an apple, some tea and a cheese sandwich, knowing that Riku hadn’t had a chance to have breakfast yet. Riku thanked Iori as the raven-haired boy handed him the tray and sat back down on the bed and once again wrapped an arm around Riku. 

“You know…” Riku started after a while. “Hm?” Iori hummed in question. “Tsumugi said she would take me to retirement home later today. Apparently, Sara left me a box of her belongings…” Riku explained. 

“I see…” Iori said. “Sorry if this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but do you think she left you something related to the search?” Iori asked. Riku shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea… I kind of hope so… But Iori, do you think we failed her? Because we couldn’t find the treasure before she died… Do you think that’s why everyone said that time was running out?” Riku asked. 

Iori shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’d like to think that’s not the case. What do you believe?” He asked. Riku sighed. “There’s this part of me that’s just… I don’t know, really sad right now? I mean, obviously… But that part says it’s over, that we failed… But deep down, I don’t think so. Sara visited me last night. She said that she had to go, that it was my quest now. She didn’t seem upset, in fact, she seemed happy.” Riku explained. 

“You dreamt about her again?” Iori asked. Riku nodded. “Yeah… When I woke up I had this really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach… So, when Tsumugi told me about Sara, a small part of me kind of knew already.” He said. 

“If Sara left the quest to you, if she seemed happy and content with that, then I don’t think we failed her. We still have time to finish this, and that is what matters. We will find this treasure, even if she’s gone. We’re still doing this for her. We will keep looking, I will keep looking until we have it.” Iori said, then he grabbed Riku’s hand and smiled. “We’re in this together.” He said. 

Riku smiled, sniffled, dried some new tears that were starting to spill over, then leaned his head back on Iori’s shoulder and squeezed his hand. His heart still ached from the loss of Sara, but having Iori here by his side, Riku could already feel his wounds healing. It would be tough, but as long as Iori stayed by his side, Riku was sure they could do anything. 

Throughout the day, Riku and Iori mostly stayed in Riku’s room, Riku was reminiscing and telling Iori stories about his visits with Sara, most of which Iori had already been told about in detail, but he still listened intently and added comments of his own every once in a while. Riku was really happy that Iori had offered to stay behind, he wouldn’t have wanted to be alone all day with nothing but his own thoughts. 

Around half past two that afternoon, Tsumugi had come by and asked Riku if he felt ready to go pick up what Sara had left for him at the retirement home. Riku nodded, telling Tsumugi he felt good enough to go do that. Iori came along as well, on Riku’s request, but it felt strangely intrusive for him. Sure, Riku had told him almost everything about his visits with Sara, but Iori himself had only been there once, and ever since then, Riku had insisted on going alone. 

When they got there, Tomiko greeted them. The woman also thanked Riku for coming to visit “Emi” so much, she said it had made the old woman very happy to have someone keep her company. Riku had in turn said that it was no problem, that he had really enjoyed his visits, which made Tomiko delighted. The worker also invited Riku to Sara’s funeral, which would take place the following weekend. Since Sara didn’t have any living family members, the retirement home was organizing a small ceremony for her. Riku immediately said that he would go. 

Once that was taken care of, Tomiko took Riku, Iori and Tsumugi to Sara’s room and handed Riku a small cardboard box, just a tiny bit bigger than your usual shoebox. “Here, everything that's in here, Emi wanted you to have.” Tomiko told them. Riku took the box, gave Tomiko a sad smile and nodded. “Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.” He answered. 

Once they had the box, Riku promptly told Tsumugi and Iori that he wanted to leave. Being in Sara’s room brought up a lot of memories, and Riku didn’t quite feel ready for all of that just yet. And so, Riku bid farewell to Tomiko with a promise of seeing her the next weekend for Sara’s funeral. 

When they came back to the house the clock was just past three in the afternoon. Tamaki had returned, and he said that Nagi and Sougo would come back in just a few minutes. Tsumugi headed off to the kitchen and the three first years headed up to Riku’s room in order to wait for the remaining two members of Sibuna. 

When Nagi and Sougo stumbled in about fifteen minutes later, they both immediately went to check on Riku, who insisted that he would be okay, even though he was still feeling a bit down. The two second years had brought some chocolate chip cookies with them, which cheered Riku up a bit. They all ate them while Tamaki was telling Iori and Riku about what they had missed in school that day. 

Once they were finished, it was finally time to do what they all had been waiting for. It was time to go through what Sara had left for Riku. They all hoped to find something, anything that might be related to the quest. Now that Sara was no longer there, they hoped her things might hold some answers. 

“Okay, let’s open this then.” Riku said with a sigh as a sat himself down in front of the box and slowly opened it. At the top, all they could see was crumpled up newspaper, which was probably there to ensure that nothing broke. Riku picked it out, carefully to make sure there was nothing inside of the crumbled-up paper. 

Finally, they could see what was actually inside of the box, not just old newspapers. “What is it? What’s in there, Rikkun?” Tamaki asked impatiently. Riku reached down into the box and pulled out the first thing that caught his eye. It was a teddy bear, brown and kind of small with a light blue ribbon tied around its neck. On one of its feet, someone had written the name Sara, showing who it belonged to. 

“A teddy bear?” Sougo asked. Riku nodded. “Yes, it looks pretty old, so I’m guessing Sara had it for a long time…” He said. Riku brought it up, even though it looked old and well used, one of its eyes were almost falling off and color of the ribbon had probably long since faded, Riku couldn’t help but feel a strange sort of comfort from it, almost as if it was one of his own old and beloved toys. 

He brought it closer and hugged it. “It smells like her, just like Sara…” He said, and then new tears started running down his cheeks. Iori quickly scooted over to Riku and wrapped his arms around him. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I know it hurts, but everything will be alright.” He said. Riku nodded and buried his head in Iori’s shoulder. Iori could feel the fabric of his shirt go damp with the other’s tears, and the thought was enough to make Iori hurt as well. 

Nagi also decided to join and thus sat down on Riku’s other side before also enveloping the crying redhead in a hug. Tamaki frowned. “No fair! I also want to give Rikkun a hug!” He exclaimed before he too joined them, although it was starting to feel a bit constricting with so many people there. 

“Should I do it too?” Sougo asked quietly to himself, but it seems as if Tamaki heard him. “Come on, Sou-chan! You can join us too! There might be some space for you to between me and Iorin!” Tamaki said, making Riku actually chuckle. “I see. Here I go then.” Sougo said as he also joined in on the hug. 

Riku rubbed his face on Iori’s shirt, most likely trying to dry his tears that way, before looking up and laughing with his friends. Iori wouldn’t say it, but he found it awfully endearing. Riku was already feeling better, he was glad he had his friends there with him. It reminded him that things weren’t the same as they were in the past, he was no longer alone. When Tenn had left, Riku truly had felt alone, but now he had multiple people he considered his friends, and even someone he thought of as more than just a regular friend. 

“You guys… Thank you so much, really. I’m so happy I have you.” He said with a sheepish smile. “No problem! We’re happy you became our friend too!” Tamaki exclaimed. “Yes! You are our precious friend!” Nagi agreed with a wink, making Riku laugh again. “Also, while I love hugs, group hugs especially, you’re sort of suffocating me…” Riku admitted, which immediately made the others let go and apologize profoundly, which in turn only made Riku laugh more than before. 

Riku sighed and then sat back by the box. “Well then, should we keep going?” He asked. The others nodded, and so it was once again time to keep going through the box. The next thing Riku pulled out was a small, brown wooden box. He opened it, and the song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” started playing. “It’s a music box.” Iori observed. 

Riku nodded. The box was small and on the inside of the lid there was a tiny, oval mirror. Inside of the box there was a small silver chain that Riku picked out. “Ohh, I think it’s a bracelet! Here, let me.” Nagi exclaimed as he held out his hand. Riku handed it to Nagi, who then grabbed Riku’s right arm and made him hold it out in front of him. After that, Nagi carefully put the bracelet on Riku. 

“It’s pretty.” Riku commented. It was a very simple bracelet, a thin silver chain that had a small silver disc hanging from it. The disc was engraved with the name Sara. Riku loved it, it was something else he could wear as a memory of the old woman. 

Riku then closed the music box and placed it on his bedside table before reaching back into the cardboard box. This time, he pulled out four small figures. “Are they… dolls?” Tamaki asked. Riku laid them down on the floor in front of him and nodded. “Yeah, but they’re small… Maybe they belong to a doll house? They look like a family, with a grown-up woman and a grown-up man, then two children, a boy and a girl.” Riku said. 

“So, she gave you dollhouse dolls, but no dollhouse?” Tamaki asked. Riku chuckled. “Well, a dollhouse wouldn’t fit in this box, so I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that I didn’t get a dollhouse along with the dolls.” He said. 

Iori frowned. “I wonder why she wanted you to have them…” He thought out loud. Riku nodded. “Yeah, I don’t get it either. But who knows, maybe we’ll get to use them sometime? I’ll hide them away just to be safe.” He said. Iori nodded in agreement. 

“Was that all?” Nagi asked. Riku looked down into the box and saw that there was one more thing in there. A file with some documents. He pulled it out and held it up for the others to see. “This is the last thing.” He said. “Can I have a look?” Iori asked. Riku nodded and handed it to him. 

Iori started looking through the papers with a frown on his face. “What are they?” Riku asked as he leaned in closer to Iori, now they were once again sitting so close that both their shoulders, hips and thighs were touching. Iori flushed from the close proximity but tried not to let it bother him as he gave Riku an answer. “Well, the first document is an adoption paper, it says that three years after the death of her parents, when Sara was ten years old, she was taken in by the Kujou family.” He answered. Riku’s eyes widened. “The Kujou family? They adopted Sara? And why three years after her parents died? Who took care of her before they did?” He asked. “They did, and what’s more is that apparently her previous guardian was someone by the name of Tsukumo Kazuya.” Iori said. 

“Kazuya? Who is that?” Tamaki asked. “Well, it’s possible it is a relative of Tsukumo Ryou, maybe his dad? If that is the case, maybe this Tsukumo Kazuya was the one we heard on the cylinders… And maybe he was the man in the old photo we found.” Iori suggested. 

“So,” Riku started. “Our caretaker might not be as old as we originally thought?” He asked. Iori nodded. “And look at this.” Iori then said as he started going through the other documents. “These are all information on the Kujou family, the ones who adopted Sara. Apparently, they had a son named Kujou Takamasa, and it says here that he was born in 1916.” 

“Kujou Takamasa was born in 1916?” Riku asked before taking a look at the papers himself. “This basically proves that he has been taking the elixir as well.” Iori said. Riku nodded. “Just like we thought then.” He said. Sara’s belongings may not have given them any clues about their latest riddle, at least not any they had discovered yet, but it had shed some light on some other aspects of her mysterious past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye Sara... You will be missed.  
> I ope you guys were able to enjoy this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one on Saturday! Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who leaves me kudos and comments. <3<3


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Sara's funeral, but it turns out Riku isn't the only one who decided to show up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well! I'm good, and I'm back with a new chapter! I hope you will like it! ^^ If you have any questions or just want to talk, contact me on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

The next couple of days were a bit difficult for Riku, between school and the quest for the Cup of Ankh he mostly kept himself busy and distracted, but whenever he had some time to himself, memories of Sara would come to him. Some nights, he would cry until he fell asleep, some nights he would lie awake with too many thought swirling around his head to sleep, and some nights exhaustion would take ahold of him before the tears or thoughts could overtake his mind.

Even though Riku and the rest of Sibuna had spent quite a lot of time on the riddle, they hadn’t really gotten anywhere. They were stuck with the latest riddle, and it was really starting to become annoying. But, despite the struggle with finding the next step, it did provide a good distraction for Riku. 

Days passed, and soon the day of Sara’s funeral was upon them. It was a Sunday and it was starting to get colder outside and grey clouds covered the sun. That morning, Iori had asked Riku time and time again if he wanted him to come along to the event, despite Riku being the only one who was invited. 

Every time, Riku had shook his head and given the other a grateful smile. He appreciated the offer, and a part of him wanted Iori to be there, but he also felt like he should visit Sara this last time like he always had. Alone. 

After lunch that day, Riku changed into his black pants and white button-up, along with a black blazer that Iori had lent him. Riku hadn’t had one of his own and he and Iori had almost the same size in clothes. He combed his hair and grabbed the flowers Tsumugi had gone out to buy for him that morning. And then he left. 

When Riku got to the venue, he first went to greet Tomiko, who in return thanked him for coming. Looking around, there were only a handful of people there and they all either worked at the retirement home or were residents there. Riku guessed the workers had brought the ones with enough energy to make it through the service. Seeing them reminded Riku of how alone Sara must have felt, her family was dead, and she must not have had many friends, if she even had any. His heart ached for her all over again. 

Riku tried to remember her smile from his dream. It was the last time he had spoken to her, and he wasn’t even sure if it was real. Still, that smile she had given him was somehow a huge comfort, it made him believe that maybe she had actually been somewhat happy, somewhat at peace when she passed. 

The ceremony was just about to start when the door to the venue opened and in came a man Riku recognized very well. Tsukumo Ryou was panting hard by the door, he must have been running late. Tomiko went up to greet him and Riku promptly looked away. What is he doing here? Did he know Sara lived at the retirement home? Was it ever really a secret? Maybe he has been aware of that for a long time… Riku thought to himself. 

Riku felt angry. What right did he have to be there? Wasn’t he one of the reasons that Sara had suffered so much? Still, when Riku looked at him again a while later, he looked almost sad, like he didn’t want to see Sara go. Riku was taken aback to say the least. To him, Tsukumo was a grumpy and strict man they had to watch out for, there was even a possibility that he was the one behind Sara’s parents’ deaths. Though, Riku supposed that seemed less likely now that they knew about the other Tsukumo who had taken care of Sara, possibly his father or some other relative. 

They all ended the ceremony by putting their flowers near the casket, and while he couldn’t be sure, Riku could have sworn he saw Tsukumo dry away tears as he walked back to his seat. He quickly disregarded the thought as it was now his own turn to leave the flowers. He walked up to the casket, leaned down and whispered to Sara one last time. “Don’t worry, Sara. I will complete your quest, I promise. Goodbye, rest well.” 

The ceremony ended, it had been quite beautiful despite the lack of anything personal and the small number of attendees. The only thing that really bothered Riku was the fact that Sara wouldn’t even have her own name on her tomb. Fushimi Emi was the name she had been known by at the retirement home, and that was the name they had written on her tomb. Only a handful of people knew who she really was. 

After the ceremony, they all returned to the retirement home, where the workers had prepared some cake to finish everything off. Riku couldn’t say he was very keen on the idea of cake, but he didn’t want to leave early, being one of the only people who knew the truth about Sara, it felt wrong to skip out on any parts of the service. 

After a short while, Riku noticed Tsukumo going off on his own. Riku frowned, was he going to the room that Sara had occupied? Riku told Tomiko he needed to use the bathroom, which was luckily in the same direction as Sara’s old room. When he got close enough to the door, he could hear raised voices coming from within. One he recognized as Tsukumo’s, the other also sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. 

“You knew she was here all along. I told you I wanted to try and find her, ask for her help. You dismissed me, so I thought you didn’t want her help, but you knew all along. Did she ever tell you anything? Is there something I should know about all of this?” Tsukumo asked. He sounded angry. 

“Relax, will you? Yes, I knew she was here, but that stubborn old hag was tight lipped, she would never tell me anything I didn’t already know.” The other voice, a man’s voice, said. Riku realized then who the other voice belonged to. It was Kujou Takamasa. 

Tsukumo sighed. “Don’t call her that. She may have been stubborn and unhelpful, and I may believe she should have given us more trust than she did, but there’s no need to throw insults her way.” He said. Riku was surprised, was Tsukumo defending Sara? 

“Oh, come on! Are you taking her side now? After all these years? You’re not giving up on all that we have fought for, are you?” Kujou asked, sounding annoyed. 

“Of course not, we’ve come too far to back out now. And you know I want this just as much as you do. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to be disrespectful, at least not today of all days.” Tsukumo argued. 

Kujou laughed. “Man, under that tough exterior, you really are quite sentimental, aren’t you, Tsukumo? Well, I suppose you always were the more sensitive one of us, I guess that’s why Sara preferred your company to mine.” He said. 

“Is that why you never told me? You were scared, weren’t you? That Sara would entrust me with something she never did to you.” Tsukumo said, sounding triumphant. 

Kujou scoffed, as if the suggestion was absolutely ridiculous. “As if. You know just as well as I do that she would have never told you shit. She may have actually been your friend at one point, she may have trusted you at one point, but we both know that the wounds your father left ran too deep for her to ever forget how you left her at his mercy. No, I wasn’t scared, you destroyed your own chances when you abandoned her as children. But I know you don’t trust me, I know you would do this alone if you had the chance. Too bad I’m the one who controls the chosen one.” He said. 

Riku gasped. _'The chosen one? Is he talking about Tenn-nii? I can’t think of anyone else… But chosen for what?'_ Riku wondered. When they talked about Tenn, they talked as if they would need him for something related to the same reason why they wanted the Cup of Ankh. But why would they need Tenn? Why did it have to be him specifically? 

“That’s true.” Tsukumo said after a while. “But the chosen one means nothing if you don’t have the cup. You can’t get the cup if you can’t get into the house, and if you continue to act on your own, I will make sure you never take another step inside my house.” He said harshly. 

“Oh please.” Kujou said, sounding annoyed. “We both know you don’t have the guts for that. And besides, the cup will mean nothing if you don’t have the chosen one, so two can play that game. I’ll get my hands on that cup, one way or another. If you want what I want, a shot at immortality, then I suggest you cooperate. Because let’s face it, you will never be strong enough to stop me.” Kujou said. 

Tsukumo didn’t respond to that, but Riku started hearing some shuffling coming from the other end of the door. Were they leaving? In a panic, Riku quickly opened the nearest door, which led to a closet with cleaning supplies, and hid. It was only once he heard them both pass that he exited the closet again. 

Riku stared after them, he still couldn’t quite process everything he had heard. Maybe Tsukumo wasn’t as bad as they had initially thought? He was still someone they needed to watch out for, but it seems like they could relax a bit, at least he wasn’t a killer. And besides, Riku was now a lot more worried about Kujou Takamasa than their caretaker, and that also meant that he was concerned about his brother. One thing was for certain, Riku would have to try and talk to Tenn again, one way or another. 

When he got back, Riku told the other members of Sibuna all about what had happened at the service. He told them about Tsukumo at the funeral, about his and Kujou’s argument, about the fact that Tsukumo most likely wasn’t a killer and about Tenn being the “chosen one”. They had all been intrigued, but Riku could see the relief wash over them now that they knew that the chances were extremely small that they lived with a murderer. 

Other than discussing what Riku had overheard between Kujou and Tsukumo, Sibuna didn’t do very much that evening. Riku had been tired, and now that Sara’s funeral was over, he somehow felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He started to slowly accept that Sara wasn’t there anymore. But that also made him feel impatient. He was well aware that they needed to solve the next riddle soon. 

The next day, Riku had gathered Sibuna the moment they were all back from school. They needed a plan, they needed to move on and figure out what to do next. “Okay,” Riku started. “We have a riddle that we still haven’t been able to solve. To find the secrets of the past look beyond this world through glass. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being stuck. Is there anything else we can do besides just sitting here and thinking about it?” He asked. 

“Oh, oh! Pick me, Rikkun!” Tamaki exclaimed excitedly as he raised his hand, looking eager to share his thoughts. Riku nodded at him, signaling for Tamaki to go ahead and share his thoughts. “Well, I was just thinking, what ended up happening with the elixir? We attempted to find it once, and then never spoke of it again. We got it wrong last time, and I’m willing to take responsibility for that, I was the one who picked the bottle after all, but shouldn’t we make a second attempt?” He suggested. 

Riku frowned. “Are you sure? Last time…” He trailed off and looked at Sougo. Sougo just gave them an awkward smile. “I told you already, it’s all good! We just have to make sure that nobody accidentally drinks it this time.” He said. 

Iori nodded. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that too. We know that Tsukumo has some elixir down in the cellar, and we know that both he and Kujou Takamasa have been taking it. In fact, with the documents that Sara gave you, if we also have the elixir, I’m pretty sure we could prove to most people what they have been doing. And in doing so, we might get rid of some competition. It would be seen as unethical, amongst other things, it could completely neutralize the threat they pose.” He explained. 

“So, you also think we should sneak back into the cellar and try and find a sample of the elixir again?” Riku asked. Iori nodded. “Yes, I do. I mean, we don’t have to, but if we’re stuck either way, I think it might be worth a shot. Who knows, maybe we have just been too focused on the riddle, taking a break and do something else might actually give us some new insights.” He said. 

“Well, then I say we do it! Should we do it like last time? Two people staying up here and keeping watch while the rest go into the cellar, that is.” Nagi said. “Yes, that sounds like a good plan to me. Besides, I think Tsukumo was going out for a short while tonight, so it might be a perfect opportunity. We just have to be careful.” Iori said. 

“Tsukumo will be out?” Riku asked and Iori nodded. Riku suddenly had an idea then. “If I open the path for you, do you think I could sneak off and do something else while you’re in the cellar, looking for the elixir? There’s something I’ve been meaning to do, but I need access to Tsukumo’s office in order to do it. If he won’t be there tomorrow night, I might actually have my chance.” He explained. 

Iori seemed to consider it for a while, but then nodded. “If you’re back in order to open the path again when we want out, I don’t see a problem with that. Like you said, with Tsukumo gone, it’s a good opportunity. Do you want someone to go with you? We could send you and one other to his office, two people could go into the cellar and one of us could stand watch.” He suggested. 

Riku shook his head. “No, this is something I want to do on my own. I hope that’s fine with you.” He said. Iori frowned but then nodded. “If you’re sure. But don’t hesitate to ask if you change your mind.” He said. Riku nodded and assured Iori that he would do just that. 

After that, the five spent some time deciding who would do what and soon reached the decision that Iori, Sougo and Tamaki would go into the cellar, Riku would open the path for them and then go do his own thing while Nagi stayed in the kitchen, keeping watch. Nagi would warn all of them if Tsukumo returned and also get Riku if Iori, Sougo and Tamaki wanted to get out before Tsukumo came back. While there was a certain nervousness that came with what they were about to do, they were also eager to do something other than sitting around and thinking about the next clue. 

Night fell, Tsukumo left, and Sibuna silently made their way downstairs. Riku and Nagi shared a room, so did Iori and Tamaki, so they hadn’t had any problem sneaking out, but they were a bit concerned about Sougo, seeing as he had two roommates and wasn’t used to sneaking around at night. “Did everything go okay? You didn’t wake Mikki or Yama-san, did you?” Tamaki asked. 

Sougo shook his head. “No, I believe they’re still asleep.” He said. Everyone relaxed, glad that they could start their plan just as they had planned. Riku took out his locket and opened the old oven in the kitchen, which amazed Sougo, reminding them all that he hadn’t had a chance to see that so far. 

“Okay, I’ll go up to Tsukumo’s office now. I’ll come back here and open the hatch again either when I’m finished there or when Nagi sees him returning. If you want out before that, send Nagi to get me and I’ll come. I’ll prioritize getting you out over finishing what I want to do in the office.” Riku said and the others nodded in affirmation. 

Iori was the first one to crawl in, but he stopped momentarily before Riku. “Be careful, okay? And if you need any help, you can still contact us.” He said. Riku gave him a gracious smile and nodded, he was happy that Iori worried about him, but he also really wanted to do this alone. 

“You be careful too, okay? Don’t do anything reckless.” Riku said. Iori snorted. “Are you sure you shouldn’t say that to Yotsuba-san instead of me?” Iori asked, making Tamaki glare at him and Riku laughed. Then Iori crawled inside the pathway, followed by Sougo and finally Tamaki. Riku then closed the hatch behind them. 

“Okay,” Riku said and turned to Nagi. “I’ll go now, make sure to let me know if Tsukumo returns or if something else happens, yeah?” He said. Nagi nodded and patted Riku’s shoulder. “Of course.” He said. “And good luck, be careful.” He then added. Riku smiled and thanked him before leaving the kitchen and heading back up the stairs. 

Tsukumo hadn’t locked his office, so getting inside hadn’t been any trouble. Riku immediately sat down at the desk and started looking around. Upon not finding what he was looking for immediately, he frowned. However, he did find it as soon as he opened the first drawer. Riku smiled and picked up Tsukumo’s laptop. If he managed to get into it, maybe he could contact Tenn the same way Tsukumo had let them talk to him last time. 

Riku opened it and was both surprised and delighted when he noticed that Tsukumo hadn’t even bothered to use a password for the computer. Finally, something was going pretty easy for them. Riku opened the app that he had seen Tsukumo use when they all got to talk to Tenn last time and looked through it. He didn’t find Tenn’s contact, but he found one that said ‘Kujou Takamasa’, which Riku supposed actually made more sense. 

Riku hesitated for a second. What if Kujou was the one to answer instead of Tenn? Maybe he should try and just do a normal call instead of using video from the start, that way, he could just turn it off if someone other than his brother picked up. Having made up his mind, Riku pressed the call button and waited for five painfully long beeps before someone answered. 

“Hello…?” A voice said on the other end. It was hoarse and sounded tired, but Riku would be able to tell his brother’s voice apart in a second. Riku smiled and hurried to turn on the camera. “Tenn-nii?” He asked. There was some shuffling on the other line and then Tenn also turned on his camera, his tired yet concerned face now showed up on the screen. 

“Riku? What are you doing? How did you get Tsukumo to allow you to call?” He asked, sounding partly tired and partly worried. Riku must have woken Tenn up with the call, but the relief of seeing his brother again, even if it was only on a screen, managed to overwrite any concern he had about interrupting Tenn’s rest. 

“He didn’t…” Riku admitted sheepishly. “Tsukumo isn’t home right now, so I sneaked into his office and used his computer.” He admitted. Tenn’s eyes widened. “That’s really reckless, Riku! If he caught you, he could-” Tenn started to lecture, but Riku feared he didn’t have time to listen to his brother. “I know, but I really needed to talk to you!” He said, which shut Tenn up. 

Tenn sighed and nodded. “Well then, talk. Kujou-san isn’t home right now either, but he could come back any time. He wouldn’t want me to talk to you.” He admitted. Riku nodded. “I’ll make it quick. I want to talk more, but I think that will have to wait until another time.” He said before trailing off. “…I really miss you, Tenn-nii…” He admitted, tears forming in his eyes. 

“Riku…” Tenn said. “I miss you too… And I’m sorry I left you, I hope you know that I didn’t really want to go. I did it for you, because mom and dad couldn’t have taken care of us both with things as they were back then.” He explained. 

Riku nodded. “I know.” He said. “But Tenn-nii, I never wanted you to leave… I felt so alone… I just want you to come back…” He admitted. Tenn looked guilty then, but that guilt was soon replaced by a determined expression. “Don’t worry, we’ll be together again. Kujou-san wants me to do something for him soon, but he promised that once that was done, I could do whatever I want to do. Once it’s done, I’ll come back to Yaotome Academy, we can start over again. You and me, together.” He said. 

Riku was really happy to hear Tenn say that, it meant that Tenn wanted to be with him again just as much as Riku did. His brother didn’t hate him after all, maybe they could even reunite once this was all over. Thinking about that, however, brought up what Riku had actually been meaning to talk to Tenn about. 

“Tenn-nii, have Kujou-san ever told you about what he wants you to do for him?” Riku asked in concern. Tenn frowned and shook his head. “No, not in detail. But he keeps saying that I’m the only one who can do it, that I’m…” He started, but then trailed off. “Chosen?” Riku suggested after Tenn stopped talking. Tenn looked at Riku and nodded. “Yes, that was the same thing he called me… Riku, how did you know that?” He asked in concern. 

“It’s a really long story, and I don’t think I have time to explain it now, but Tenn-nii, you can’t help Kujou-san. I’m not sure what exactly, but I believe something really bad will happen if you do.” Riku said. 

Tenn sighed. “It’s not that simple, he won’t just let me quit. Riku, he’s threatening you.” He explained. Riku was a bit taken aback, though from what he had seen from Kujou Takamasa lately, he couldn’t say he was very surprised. “Maybe you’d be better off to just leave. You could leave Yaotome Academy and hide somewhere until all of this is over, that way he can’t get to you.” Tenn suggested. 

Riku shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I made a promise to a close friend, I still have things I need to do here.” He said. Tenn sighed again. “I wish it wasn’t me, I never wanted to be chosen for anything…” He said and ran a hand through his hair. Riku felt bad for Tenn then, he must be feeling really lonely right now. 

“Don’t worry.” Riku said. “I won’t let Kujou-san do anything to me, and I’m sure I can stop what he plans to do as well, just you wait.” He said, sounding more confident than he actually felt. Tenn smiled at him, but it was a concerned smile. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful.” Tenn said and Riku nodded. 

“One more thing.” Riku said, catching Tenn’s attention. “Do you think you could find some different way to keep in contact? I want to talk to you more, to explain what’s been going on without having to sneak into Tsukumo’s office to do so.” Riku explained. 

Tenn considered Riku’s suggestion and then gave his brother a tentative nod. “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises. With Kujou watching over me constantly, it certainly won’t be easy. Give me your number so that I can let you know if I succeed.” He said. Riku smiled and quickly gave Tenn his phone number. 

Just as Riku was about to keep talking, the door to Tsukumo’s office burst open and in came a panting Nagi. “Nagi?!” Riku exclaimed. “Riku, you have to go, now! Tsukumo’s car just pulled up outside.” He said. Riku nodded and turned to Tenn. “I have to go. Good luck.” He said. Tenn nodded and then they ended the call. 

Riku hurriedly turned off the laptop before putting it back into the drawer where he had found it, then he followed Nagi down the stairs. The two of them just managed to duck behind the sofas in order to hide before the front door opened. In came Tsukumo, followed by multiple other people, though Nagi and Riku couldn’t tell who they were. They all started heading into the cellar. 

Riku turned to Nagi with a worried expression. “Did you warn the others?” He asked. Nagi nodded. “Yes, hopefully they’ll be in the tunnel by now.” He answered. Riku agreed and when the coast was clear the two of them headed to the kitchen in order to open the path between there and the cellar. Hopefully their friends would make it out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku finally managed to talk properly to Tenn! Next chapter will continue on where this left off and we'll get to see how things went for the guys in the cellar... It will be up on Monday, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading! And also thank you to everyone who has left kudos or comments! <3<3


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori, Sougo and Tamaki witness something strange down in the cellar and Riku makes a break through related to the latest riddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back ^^ I hope that you're all doing okay and that you're finding ways to keep yourselves busy these days. Here is the new chapter, enjoy!   
> If you have any questions or want to talk to me, contact me over on my Twitter: @EFagerhag

As the door to the oven closed behind them, Iori pulled out a flashlight to light their way through the tunnel. “You two good back there?” He asked Sougo and Tamaki, making sure they could see where they were going. The two nodded, and having gotten the okay, Iori started moving forward and then down until they reached the cellar.

“Oh my…” Sougo said as they entered the dark and dusty main room of the cellar. Since it was his first time down there, it was to be expected that he react like that upon entering. “See, Sou-chan, isn’t this place super creepy?” Tamaki asked. Sougo seemed lost for words and could only nod in astonishment. 

“Well, we don’t have all night.” Iori said. “We should hurry up and try to find this elixir already.” He added. “Right.” Sougo answered, though he was clearly still taking the place in as they started looking around the room, going through the various bottles and tubes of liquid that were littering the room. 

Tamaki sighed. “Iorin, there has to be over a hundred different bottles here, how do we know which one is the elixir?” He asked. Iori frowned. “Yeah, that’s the difficult part. But the elixir would be important, so it’s probably not just laying around in the open. I bet Tsukumo hid it somewhere, just to be safe.” He speculated. 

“I see, so you think we can just ignore the hundreds of bottles on the table and the shelves because they’re not hidden?” Tamaki asked. Iori shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m just guessing based on what I would do. If I had an elixir of life, I wouldn’t just let it sit on a table for everyone to see.” He explained. 

“Fair enough.” Tamaki said. The three of them then started looking, they looked amongst the shelves, the cupboards, along the floor, on the table. Really, they were trying to look everywhere. Still, they couldn’t seem to find any bottle in particular that stood out to them. 

A few minutes later, they heard four knocks coming from the oven upstairs, which meant that Tsukumo was coming back home and that it was time to get out of the cellar. Iori, Tamaki and Sougo all ran back to the wall that opened up into the path, but Tamaki soon stopped in his tracks. “Wait!” He exclaimed. 

“What is it?” Iori asked in a panic, knowing that they needed to hurry unless they were to be discovered. “I forgot my flashlight on one of the shelves!” Tamaki exclaimed as he ran back into the cellar. “Hurry up, Tamaki-kun!” Sougo called out. “There it is, got it!” Tamaki said as he reached the shelf where he had indeed left his flashlight. 

That was when they heard the door to the cellar open and various voices could be heard from the staircase. Tamaki ran for his life back to the secret passage and just managed to get back inside before Tsukumo and his guests finished making their way down the stairs. While Tamaki was catching his breath as relief flooded him, Iori walked up to a small crack in the wall which allowed him to see what was happening inside. 

“Guys, look.” He said. Sougo and Tamaki shared a look before joining Iori by the tiny opening. “Is that…?” Tamaki started. He didn’t have to finish because they all saw the same thing. Tsukumo was in the cellar and with him were six other people, one they recognized as Kujou Takamasa, then Gaku’s father, the headmaster of Yaotome Academy, was there as well as two of their teachers, Anesagi Kaoru and Shimaoka. The remaining two people, none of them recognized. All of them were wearing these strange, brown robes and they were starting to light candles throughout the room. 

“What are they doing?” Sougo asked. Iori shook his head. “I don’t know… Is it some kind of ritual?” He asked in disbelief. The three kept looking as Kujou, who seemed to be leading the ritual pulled out something from a package that was stood on the table. They all gasped as they saw him holding up what looked like a human skull in the air. 

“Th-that has to be f-fake, right?” Tamaki stammered out, clearly shaken by what was going on. “I sure hope so.” Sougo replied. After that, Tsukumo pulled out a bottle from the inside of his coat and poured a bit of the liquid inside the skull. “That has to be it.” Iori said before turning to look at Tamaki and Sougo. “That has to be the elixir.” The other two nodded in agreement. 

“Brothers and Sisters!” Kujou exclaimed soon, making Iori, Tamaki and Sougo turn their attention back to them. “The time is near. Let’s rejoice, because the next time we meet like this will be our final gathering! The next time we meet like this, we will finally be able to tip the scales of life in our favor!” He said and the others gave him an applause. 

Iori, Tamaki and Sougo all gulped. “The time limit…” Iori said. “You mean, we have to find the Cup of Ankh before they have their next little get-together?” Tamaki asked. Iori nodded. “Yeah, whenever that is…” He answered. 

They kept watching as Kujou drank from the skull and then passed it around to the others so that they could all have a sip of the elixir. Tamaki almost gagged as they saw it, Iori and Sougo just looked disgusted. “We should get out of here so that we can get back to our rooms before they finish.” Iori soon said. Tamaki and Sougo couldn’t agree faster. 

The three of them crawled back up the path and lightly knocked on the oven, which was immediately opened for them. Well out there, they were met by the worried gazes of Riku and Nagi. “Oh my god, what happened? Why didn’t you come out as soon as possible? We were so worried you had been caught!” Riku exclaimed, throwing his arms around Iori’s neck in relief. 

“Sorry, we were fine, they didn’t see us.” Iori reassured Riku as he returned the hug. However, when he caught sight of Nagi giving him a knowing smirk, he pushed the redhead away, a flush starting to form on his face. Iori cleared his throat and that was when Nagi and Riku noticed that all three who had gone to the cellar looked a bit shaken. They asked what had happened and Iori, Sougo and Tamaki took turns explaining what they had seen. 

Nagi and Riku were surprised to say the least. Riku was glad that Sara’s death hadn’t been them running out of time, but he was also worried now that he knew that they really didn’t have long left now. Once they finished explaining, they all headed back to their respective rooms for the night, after all, they didn’t want to get caught by Tsukumo or the others. 

The next time Riku opened his eyes, things didn’t quite feel right. Or rather, something was different about his surroundings. He was still in his bed in his room, but it was as if he was seeing it all through a haze or a fog. He felt disoriented. But at the same time, there was this feeling of calm that overtook him. 

Then, Riku suddenly felt like he wasn’t alone anymore. His first thought was that he shared a room with Nagi, so of course he wasn’t alone, but when he turned to look for his blonde friend, he found his bed to be empty. Riku frowned, he could tell he wasn’t the only person in the room, but if Nagi wasn’t there, who was it? And where was Nagi? Maybe he had gone to the bathroom… 

Then there was a light, a dim, blue light to his right. Riku turned around and, much to his surprise and delight, saw Sara sitting at the edge of his bed, smiling her signature gentle smile at him. Riku could feel tears welling up in his eyes, he didn’t realize just how much he had missed the old woman over the past few days until now that she was sat in front of him again. 

“Sara…” He said. Sara reached out a hand and dried away his tears. “Is this a dream? It has to be, right? After all, you’re already…” Riku started, but found that he couldn’t finish his sentence. “Why are you here, Sara? You left, how can you still visit me?” Riku asked, suddenly feeling that something about this was wrong. That night Sara said goodbye, Riku assumed she left forever, but was her spirit still stuck here somehow? 

Sara smiled, but it wasn’t the calm and gentle smile from before, it was a very sad smile. “When my parents took the Cup of Ankh, they unknowingly cursed us all, themselves and me. We can not move on until you find the cup. When you do, you can use it to free us. However, if _they_ find it and use it first, if _they_ manage to tip the scales of life, the curse will be permanent, and me and my parents will never be able to find rest.” Sara explained. 

Riku’s eyes widened in shock, he couldn’t believe what Sara was telling him. “But that’s… That’s horrible, Sara!” He exclaimed. Sara shook her head and took ahold of Riku’s hand, that small gesture in and of itself calmed him down more than he thought possible. “It is what it is. But I’m not worried, because I know you can help us. I believe in you, I believe that you will find the cup and set us free.” She said, sounding more confident than Riku had ever heard her before. 

“Why?” Riku asked. “Why do you believe in me so much? What makes me so special?” He asked her, he wanted answers, but for some reason, whenever he asked Sara about this, she never gave her the answers he wanted to hear. “Because,” Sara started. “You’re like me. I had the power to find it, but I believe that it is because of the curse that lies upon my family that I failed. You, however, are like me in that you have the power to find and protect it, but you are not cursed. I know you will do it.” She explained. 

“But I still don’t understand!” Riku argued. “Why does it specifically have to be me? Why can’t it be somebody else? Like Iori! Or Nagi!” He said. Sara only shook her head once more. “It has to be you. But why that is, I cannot tell you, it is not my place to do so. But don’t worry, it will all become clear in time.” She said. 

Riku sighed, but he gave up. He still wanted to know why it was him who had to find it, but if Sara wouldn’t tell him, he could accept that. “How are you so sure we will find it in time? I’m really starting to doubt it… We’re stuck on the last clue, has been for the past week, I don’t know what to do now!” Riku exclaimed, hoping maybe Sara could help him come up with a solution. 

“But I already gave you a hint for the next riddle, didn’t I?” Sara asked. Riku blinked up at her in confusion. “Did you?” He asked. Sara nodded and then pointed to the cardboard box that was stood on the floor by Riku’s bed. It was the box that Riku had gotten from Sara, though it was empty now. Had there been a clue in there after all? 

“Now, you don’t to worry about that, because I know everything will be fine, even if it may seem like it won’t. You should go back to sleep, and I’m sure that you’ll find the answer you seek real soon.” Sara said before she pushed Riku back so that he was once more laying down in his bed. She then tucked him in, leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss on his forehead. 

“Sleep well.” She said. Riku smiled and nodded, and then he closed his eyes. As he was dozing off, he heard Sara singing in the background. She was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Riku smiled, she must really like that song. He could understand why though, hearing her sing it now was really relaxing, and she hadn’t even gotten through the song yet before Riku fell back to sleep. 

The next morning, Riku wasn’t woken by his alarm like usual, instead, Nagi was the one who woke him up. As it turns out, Riku had managed to sleep through his alarm, missed breakfast and now school was about to start in just twenty minutes. Riku practically shot out of bed, got dressed as fast as he could, made his way to kitchen and grabbed a sandwich that Tsumugi had prepared, seriously, bless that woman, and then he made his way to the entranceway, where Iori and Tamaki were waiting for him. 

Because he had to rush in order to make it to school in time that morning, and then having to concentrate on his classes, it wasn’t actually until lunch break that day that Riku really had some time to think about his dream last night. However, he couldn’t discuss it with the others just yet, seeing as today all of the residents at the House of Anubis were having lunch together. 

However, Riku wasn’t really paying attention to what everyone else were doing and saying, instead thinking about what had happened that night. Had Sara really given him another clue already? He would have to check the things she left for him again when he got back that afternoon. 

There was also a part of Riku that couldn’t quite believe that Sara had come to him again, he thought that after that last dream, that he would never see her again. Somewhere inside his mind, there was a small voice that was arguing that last night had just been a figment of his own imagination. That Sara was really gone and that his dream had just been something his brain had come up with to cope with the loss. 

However, that last two dreams he'd had of Sara didn’t really make any sense either. One’s spirit should not be able to visit somebody else in a dream, whether that person was alive or not. And yet, the first time Sara had given them the correct solution to a riddle, and the second time was her saying goodbye the same night that she passed away. Riku couldn’t bring himself to believe those were just coincidences or things his own brain had come up with. 

“Are you okay?” Someone asked all of a sudden, snapping Riku out of his stupor. Riku turned around to face the source of the noise and found Iori staring at him. He had also leaned in a bit closer as to not draw attention to them from everyone else, which meant that when Riku turned to face him, their faces were so close Riku could practically feel Iori’s breath on his own face. 

Riku startled and flushed at the proximity, and he thought he saw Iori do the same. Although, in just a few seconds, Iori had schooled his expression back into his usual calm and serious face, so maybe it had just been Riku’s imagination. “You were spacing out, is everything okay?” Iori soon repeated, seeing as Riku had forgotten to answer him. 

Riku gave Iori a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something, I’ll tell you more later, okay?” He said. Iori looked curious, but he also seemed to accept Riku’s answer, because he nodded and then went back to talking to his brother about something. 

The rest of the school day passed in sort of a blur, as Riku couldn’t get last night’s events out his head. Both Iori, Tamaki and the teachers seemed to notice him spacing out, as he got called out more than once that afternoon. He couldn’t help it though, the quest for the cup just felt like it was so much more important than anything they did in school, especially with time running out and the knowledge that Sara and her parents wouldn’t get their rest if Riku failed his mission. 

When they were finally done, Riku wasted no time. He grabbed his things and then motioned for Tamaki and Iori to come with him, which they did. Outside, they met up with Nagi and Sougo, who had finished just a few minutes earlier and were waiting for them. Since they were walking back by themselves, Riku figured this was a good time to tell them. 

“So…” He started, catching their attention. “I had another dream with Sara last night.” He stated matter-of-factly. They all turned to him with shocked expressions. “A dream with Sara? Like the other ones you have had? Or just a general dream about her?” Iori asked. “Like the other ones.” Riku clarified. 

Realization dawned on Iori’s face. “That’s why you’ve been so spaced out all day.” He said as a statement, not a question. Riku nodded anyway. “I would have told you earlier, but as you know I was a bit stressed this morning, then there was class and during lunch we were with everybody else, so I couldn’t just bring it up then.” He said. 

The others nodded. “Well? What did she say? Did she give you another clue?” Tamaki asked excitedly. “Sort of…” Riku started. “She told me she had already given me one and then pointed at the box I got from her. I think we need to go through what she gave me again, because there might be something there.” He explained. 

The others agreed with him. “One thing I don’t understand though…” Sougo said. “How could she still be visiting you if she’s already dead? Or maybe I’m just overthinking things…” He said. Riku shook his head sadly, and then he explained to them what Sara had told him about the curse and how if Kujou and Tsukumo managed to tip the scales of life, whatever that meant, the curse could never be broken. 

“Of course, it could all be in my head. I mean, I’m dreaming about a dead woman, it doesn’t make much sense… But then again, I suppose not much about this quest has made much sense.” He said while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. 

The others agreed on that and then they continued on their way back to the house. Well there, they wasted no time to get up to Riku and Nagi’s room, getting everything that Sara had given Riku, including the cardboard box, and going through it. They looked everything over multiple times for hours on end, but they still couldn’t figure out what they were supposed to find. 

Riku sighed, it was really getting late and he could see that they were all starting to get pretty tired. “Maybe it was just a dream… Maybe, because Sara helped us in dreams before, I just assumed this one was the same, when in reality, it was just something my mind made up because it doesn’t know how to cope with her being gone!” Riku exclaimed. 

“Don’t say that.” Iori said, scooting closer to Riku. He didn’t like seeing the redhead sad and frustrated like that. “Maybe it’s not just such an obvious clue, after all, Sara probably wouldn’t want to risk somebody else finding it. We’re all tired, so maybe we should continue looking tomorrow instead?” He suggested. 

Riku nodded in agreement, but he wasn’t happy about it. Everyday they didn’t find anything was another day they lost. He was very aware of the fact that they were running out of time, and the fact that they didn’t even know exactly how much time they had left only made it worse somehow. Still, it was late and they all needed the rest, and so, Iori, Tamaki and Sougo left Nagi and Riku alone in their room. 

Riku tried to go to sleep, he really did, but he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that distracted him. He thought back to the previous night when Sara had lulled him back to sleep with a song and how relaxing that had been. He tried to imagine her doing that now, hoping it might help him sleep. However, it ended up doing the opposite as he suddenly had a realization. 

Riku quickly sat up and pushed the covers off of himself. How could he have missed that? Now that he had found what he believed was the solution to everything, he thought that it should have been obvious all along. He considered waiting until the next morning, but no, he had a feeling he had to do this now. 

Riku didn’t want to do it alone, but he somehow couldn’t bring himself to wake Nagi. Instead, he sneaked out as quietly as possible, made his way down the stairs, and walked up to Iori and Tamaki’s door. Tsukumo was nowhere to be seen, much to Riku’s relief, though he could just be down in the cellar. 

Riku carefully knocked on the door, hoping that would be enough to wake the one he wanted to see. Much to his relief, a tired-looking Iori opened the door. Unlike Riku, he must have been able to fall asleep, because he let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes to make himself more awake. “Nanase-san?” He asked, a bit confused as to what he was doing there so late. 

“Sorry for waking you, could we talk?” Riku asked. Iori nodded and closed the door behind him. “I hope it’s fine if it’s just me, Yotsuba-san is still asleep, and he gets extra cranky in the morning if he doesn’t get enough sleep.” He said. Riku chuckled and nodded. “Actually, I was hoping it was just going to be you. Not because I would have minded having Tamaki here too, I just… I didn’t want to wake everyone up, but I also didn’t want to do this alone, so I figured I would ask you…” Riku said. 

Iori smiled fondly, he was very pleased to hear that out of everyone, Riku had wanted Iori’s company when it would have been so much easier to just wake Nagi, seeing as they were roommates. “Well, I’m here, so what did you want to talk about?” He asked. 

Riku smiled. “I think I solved it.” He said, making Iori’s eyes widen in shock. “Both what Sara left us as a riddle and the actual riddle!” Riku then clarified. 

“Seriously?” Iori asked and Riku nodded before he continued to explain. “In my dream, just before I went back to sleep, Sara sang me a lullaby. It was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the same as the song that played in the music box she gave me!” Riku said. 

Iori seemed to understand then how exactly Riku had managed to solve the riddle. “To find the secrets of the past look beyond this world through glass… ‘Beyond this world’ could mean the stars!” He said and Riku nodded, confirming that he had come to the same conclusion. 

“And don’t we have an old telescope in the living room? ‘Look beyond this world through glass’ could mean that we have to look at the stars or something through that telescope!” Riku said. Iori smiled, now really excited. “Oh my god, you’re right! Good job figuring that out!” He said. Riku blushed, though he doubted Iori could see it in the dark of night, and then smiled up at Iori. 

“Let’s go check it out.” Riku then said, and that is what they did. Riku was the first one who looked through the telescope. He soon frowned. “I can’t see anything… But I’m also not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be seeing.” He said. “Let me try.” Iori said and lightly pushed Riku to the side in order to take a look for himself. 

At first, Iori also saw nothing, but then something seemed to appear as he passed by the full moon. “There!” He exclaimed. “I think there’s text that appears on the lens of the telescope when you look at the moon.” He said. “What does it say?” Riku asked excitedly. 

Iori focused in on the moon, and soon the entire message was clearly visible to him. “Unleash the power, light your way, find the demisphere hidden below.” Iori read out loud before he pulled back from the telescope and looked at Riku with a smile. “We finally have our next clue.” He said. Riku nodded and threw his arms around Iori’s neck in an embrace. “Finally!” Was all he agreed. Iori could feel the tension leave the other boy, much to his relief. It was so much nicer to see him happy like this than sad and tense like he had been since Sara passed. 

Their moment was ruined, however, when they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. Both Iori and Riku quickly pulled away from each other and spun around, only to see and irritated looking Tsukumo standing there. 

Riku gulped, they had been caught again. “It’s late. And while I do approve of students doing something meaningful such as stargazing, the curfew still applies to you.” He said as he walked up to them. “What were you even looking at?” He asked suspiciously. Iori and Riku looked at each other, they didn’t know what to say, so they just stayed silent. 

Tsukumo frowned. “I’ll just see for myself then.” He said. Iori’s eyes widened, he hadn’t bothered to move the telescope, so it should still be focused on the moon, which meant Tsukumo would see the riddle as well. 

As Tsukumo looked at the telescope, both Iori and Riku could do nothing but hold their breaths. “You fools.” Tsukumo soon said, making both Iori and Riku flinch. “Only someone as inexperienced like you two would choose a cloudy night to stargaze on.” He said, sounding annoyed. 

Suddenly, both Iori and Riku relaxed, if he had seen clouds, that meant the message was gone. They had gotten really lucky. “Go back to bed, and don’t let me catch you up again.” Tsukumo roared. Iori and Riku nodded and then turned around to head back to their own respective rooms. 

“Oh, and one more thing.” Tsukumo said, making them both turn to him again. When they did, they saw him handing them a toothbrush each. “The toilets need cleaning. Take care of it when you get back from school tomorrow.” Both Iori and Riku frowned in disgust at the thought, but they nodded in agreement nonetheless. They should be happy that they got away with only that as a punishment. Still, they had the next riddle now, which was really all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were busted again! But at least this time there was no relic to be taken ;) I hope you liked this chapter and I'll be back with the next one on Wednesday! Thank you to everyone who has left me kudos and comments on this fanfic! It really means a lot! <3<3<3


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibuna starts working on their latest riddle and Riku hears voices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! We're really getting close to the end here and I'm really excited! Anyway, please enjoy this update ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can do so on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“I can’t believe you did that without us!” Tamaki exclaimed loudly with a prominent pout on his face. Riku gave him an apologetic smile and scratched his cheek sheepishly. “I’m really sorry, but you all looked so tired last night, I didn’t want to wake all of you up over a hunch I had…” He said.

“But you went to mine and Iorin’s room! If you got him, why couldn’t you have at least woken me too?” Tamaki complained. “You know you get cranky if you’re woken up in the middle of the night. We already apologized, so just let it go already. The important thing is that we finally have the next clue.” Iori said, giving Tamaki a deadpan expression. 

Tamaki started mumbling complaints under his breath, but he also didn’t make any further arguments, which showed that he was accepting that they had gone without him. Glad that that was finished, Iori and Riku could finally start properly discussing the new clue with the others. 

It was currently Tuesday afternoon, everyone had made it back from school and Iori and Riku had just finished cleaning the toilets as a punishment for sneaking out last night. That morning, Riku and Iori had had told Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo about finding the next clue, though they hadn’t really had time to discuss it in-depth yet, courtesy of Tamaki for complaining that the two of them had sneaked out on their own. 

It had taken most of the day to get him to calm down and forgive them, and that meant that they could finally get back to the new riddle. “Unleash the power, light your way, find the demisphere hidden below. That’s what the new riddle said. Does anyone have any ideas what it could mean?” Riku asked. 

“If we’re supposed to find something that is ‘hidden below’, don’t you think that could be referring to the cellar again?” Sougo suggested. “Oh, like ‘hidden below the house’?” Nagi asked and Sougo nodded. “Could be.” Iori said. “But do you really think they would have hidden a second relic down there? We already got the tethering ring from the cellar...” He then added. 

Nagi frowned. “Why would that be a problem? After all, most of the clues we have found were hidden in the staircase or entranceway… I mean, first there was the key to the box with cylinders, then the second relic, the note from the sarcophagus, and both of the two smaller relics that we took from Tsukumo’s safe were originally found there as well, right? One in a banister on the staircase and the other in the grandfather clock.” He argued. 

“Yeah, I suppose…” Iori said. “Well then, if we can’t come up with anything else, I say we go into the cellar again to look for this demisphere.” He then exclaimed. Nagi and Sougo nodded in agreement, Riku looked like he was in deep thought and Tamaki just looked confused. “Am I the only one who is wondering what exactly a demisphere is?” He asked. 

“You see, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo started explaining. “A sphere is like a circle, but in 3D, so I guess you could say a ball. Demi means half, so a demisphere is half a sphere, or half a ball. I’m guessing we’re looking for something that’s kind of shaped like a bowl.” He said. 

“Oh.” Tamaki said, then he gave Sougo a sheepish smile and thanked him. Sougo smiled back and gave him a small nod in acknowledgement. “Now that that’s been clarified.” Iori said, making them all look at him. “I don’t think tonight’s a good night to go into the cellar, I saw Tsukumo bring some boxes down there earlier so chances are big that he will be down there all night. Maybe we could try and go tomorrow night?” He suggested. 

Nagi, Sougo and Tamaki all agreed quickly. “Sibuna!” They exclaimed, now that their next move was decided. However, Riku was still spacing out, which Iori finally noticed. “Nanase-san? Is something bothering you?” He asked. Riku snapped out of his stupor and looked over at Iori. “Oh… No, I’m fine. The cellar, tomorrow night, right? Sibuna!” He said. Iori nodded, he wasn’t sure what had the redhead so distracted, but he decided to let it go for now. 

The next morning, Riku had woken up a bit earlier than usual. Something was off, he couldn’t tell what it was, but something just felt different. It had started the other day, when they were discussing the clue. All of a sudden, Riku just got this feeling that it was all wrong, that they were looking in the wrong place. However, the logical part of his brain agreed with his friends, that it had to be something hidden in the cellar, it was what made the most sense. This was also why he hadn’t told any of them about his feeling. 

However, now that he was stood alone in the entranceway, that strange feeling came back to him. Because he had woken up early, he had gotten ready sooner than usual, which also meant that he was now waiting for the others to join him so that they could go to school together. The strange feeling soon warped into something else, and Riku could have sworn he was now hearing someone whisper to him. He couldn’t tell what the voice said, but he could tell that it was urgently trying to tell him something. 

Riku looked up and his eyes caught the chandelier that he, Iori and Tsumugi had put up a few weeks ago, back when he, Iori and Tamaki were just getting started. Something about it seemed… Off… Riku couldn’t tell what it was though. Maybe the light was hitting it funny? Yeah, Riku couldn’t remember it shining so brightly. 

Then he suddenly heard the whispers again, this time clearer than before. “Unleash the power, light your way, find the demisphere hidden below” It was the latest riddle. Did the chandelier have something to do with it? Does the riddle perhaps refer to something that lights your way, in this case the chandelier? Does that mean something could be hidden below it? 

Riku looked down at the floor beneath the chandelier and frowned. It felt wrong. He looked back up at the chandelier and let out a small gasp. “What if it’s not underneath… But rather the bottom…?” He wondered out loud. Riku’s eyes were locked in on the bottom of the chandelier, and right there he found their demisphere. 

“Riku? What are you doing?” Riku turned his head and stared at Nagi, who now stood and watched him from the top of the stairs. Riku smirked at him. “I think I found our demisphere! Could you keep watch and distract Tsukumo if he comes?” Riku asked. 

Nagi’s eyes widened in shock and excitement before he gave Riku a nod in confirmation. Riku then proceeded to drag a chair that stood nearby and placed it underneath the chandelier. He then stood up and reached out. He could just reach the bottom of the chandelier, much to his delight. 

As Riku started fiddling with the demisphere at the bottom of the chandelier, he heard Nagi exclaim “Tsukumo!” from the top of the stairs. Riku started to panic, he could feel the demisphere become loose, but he was still far from getting it out. Riku wasn’t looking, but he could hear Nagi distracting Tsukumo. “Oh, I don’t feel so good…” He heard his blonde friend say, followed by a thud that came from something hitting the ground. “Rokuya?” Riku heard Tsukumo ask, had Nagi just pretended to faint? 

Much to his relief, Riku soon managed to get the demishpere at the bottom loose enough to try and pull it out. It was a bit tricky still, there seemed to be something attached to the other end of the demisphere. But about a minute later, Riku held it in his hands. The triumph didn’t last long though, as something else seemed to fall out of the chandelier, a small piece of paper. 

Right at that moment, Riku looked up and could see Tsukumo starting to turn around. In a panic, Riku jumped down from the chair, put his foot over the paper that lay on the floor and hid the new relic behind his back. “What are you doing?” Tsukumo asked suspiciously. Riku was about to answer with some sort of excuse, but Tsukumo only shook his head. “No matter, go get Tsumugi and the first aid kit.” He quickly added. 

“Right! Of course!” Riku said, but he couldn’t move, or Tsukumo would see the paper. “What are you waiting for? Go!” Tsukumo roared, looking both annoyed and suspicious by now. Luckily, Nagi seemed to sense that something was wrong and chose that moment to wake up. (Even though he had never fainted in the first place.) 

“Oh… What happened?” He asked, effectively making Tsukumo turn back to him. Seeing this, Riku quickly bent down, picked up the piece of paper and put both that and the new relic in his schoolbag. As soon as he finished, Tsukumo turned back to him, looking as angry as ever. “You’re still standing there?! I said, go!” He yelled. “Right!” Riku said, and this time he actually ran into the dining room, where he found Tsumugi. (And everybody else.) 

“Tsumugi! Come quick, Nagi fainted in the staircase, Tsukumo asked me to come get you!” Riku exclaimed. He knew Nagi had only faked it, but he was scared Tsukumo would burn him at the stake if he didn’t actually do as he said. “What? Oh dear… Could you get the first aid kit for me then? It’s in the cabinet in the corner in the kitchen!” She exclaimed before she headed off to where Nagi and Tsukumo was. 

Riku did as he was told, and by the time he came back to the entranceway, everybody were already there, concerned gazes trying to work out what had happened. However, right then Nagi seemed to miraculously be feeling a lot better, which made Riku snort. Nagi said he probably had low blood pressure as an excuse, and soon they all went back to doing their own thing. “Thank you.” Riku whispered to Nagi as he joined him, the blonde only giving him a wink in return. 

It was only when walking together to school that same morning that Riku explained what had happened to the rest of Sibuna. He told them how he found the demisphere at the bottom of the chandelier and that Nagi hadn’t actually fainted, it was just him distracting Tsukumo. “Thank you, by the way. I wouldn’t have been able to get the new relic if you hadn’t done such a good job.” Riku said, smiling at Nagi. 

Nagi winked. “No problem!” He exclaimed in english. “It was great work! But how did you know to look at the chandelier?” Sougo asked curiously. “Yeah, I wondered that too. We assumed the riddle was talking about the cellar because it said it was hidden below, so what made you realize it was actually talking about the chandelier?” Iori then added. 

Riku shrugged. Honestly, he wasn’t sure yet what to tell them. Did he say he heard whispers, that it was almost as if someone told him where to look? Or did he make up an excuse? It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, but he was scared he was going crazy, and that his friends would agree with that if they knew he heard imaginary voices. 

In the end, he settled for telling them a part of the truth. “Honestly, I’ve had a feeling that we were wrong since last night. I can’t explain it, really, something just felt off. And there was this part of the riddle that was ‘light your way’, so when I saw a demisphere at the bottom of the chandelier, which is a lamp that lights our way, something just sort of clicked…” He said, hoping the others would leave it at that. He hadn’t lied, everything he said was true, he just left out everything about the voices. 

The others didn’t really question it, other than Iori, they all looked happy enough with his explanation. Iori however, was wearing a small frown. Had he been able to tell Riku had left something out? Did he not believe Riku’s story? Still, the raven-haired boy didn’t press the issue any further, so Riku decided to pretend as if he hadn’t noticed Iori’s suspicion. 

“And?” Tamaki asked impatiently. “What did you find in the chandelier?” He continued. Riku smirked and pulled out the new relic he had found. It looked a bit like a bent and folded up version of a handheld fan made out of gold, with similar drawings and symbols as the other relics decorating the entire thing. On one end there was the bottom part of the chandelier, and from it, these bent gold plates extended, sort of like a handheld fan. 

“Wow…” Tamaki said in awe. Iori held out his hands, silently asking Riku to hand it over. Riku nodded and gave the new relic to Iori. “Look here.” Iori said a minute later. “You can sort of unfold it? Or at least distribute these gold plates to create a sort of bowl-shaped object.” He said, and true enough, the gold plates could be moved to create a sort of bowl. “There is our demisphere.” Nagi stated with a smirk. 

“Was this all that was in the chandelier?” Iori asked as he turned to Riku. Riku shook his head and pulled out the folded piece of paper that had fallen on the floor earlier. “This was there too, I’m guessing it’s our next riddle.” He said with a smile. Iori nodded, pleased to see that they didn’t have to try and find a riddle in their new, strange relic. 

“What does it say?” Sougo asked curiously. Riku quickly unfolded the piece of paper so that he could hurry and read it to the others. What he saw written on the paper, however, made him gasp and his eyes widen in shock. “What? What’s up?” Tamaki asked. “Nanase-san?” Iori added, sounding a bit worried. 

Riku looked up at his friends, his expression was conflicted, he looked shocked, a bit relieved, but also strangely concerned as he told them what was written on the paper. “Inside the core of my enemy’s pride is where the final relic hides.” He said. 

“The final relic?” Iori asked. “Wait, does this mean this is our last riddle? Next up is the treasure?” Tamaki asked excitedly. “Either that, or the next relic is the one that will lead us to the treasure. The relics have been clues so far, so maybe the final relic is actually the final clue. Either way, we are really getting close to the Cup of Ankh.” Iori said. 

Riku gulped. “The final relic… We’re so close now, Sara. We’ll find it soon.” He said. Iori reached out and grabbed Riku’s shoulder, then he gave the redhead a smile. “We can do this.” He said. And with that, Riku broke out in a grin so wide it put the sun to shame. “We are going to find the Cup of Ankh.” He added and at once it sank in for all of them that they really were extremely close to finding the treasure they had been trying to find for such a long time. 

By now it had practically become routine to meet up in Nagi and Riku’s room and work on whatever riddle they had at the moment once they were all out of school for the day. And this Tuesday afternoon was no different. There was, however, something that was a bit different than normal, they were all much more focused and driven than usual. The knowledge that their quest might soon be over drove them to work as hard as they could. They had a time limit and they knew they were close, they just couldn’t fail now. 

“Inside the core of my enemy’s pride…” Riku said, he was currently pacing back and forth while repeating that part of the riddle every other minute, as if by saying it enough times he might come up with a solution. So far it had not worked. 

“As far as I can tell,” Iori started, making Riku, Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo all turn to him with curious gazes. “There are three things we need to figure out to solve this riddle.” He said. “The first is; who left it? Secondly, who is this person’s enemy? And lastly, what is this enemy’s pride? If we figure out all of that, we should know where to look to find the final relic.” He explained. 

“Well, the one who left the clues was Sara’s father, right? Watanabe Ritsu.” Riku said. “Do we know for certain that it was him?” Sougo asked. “Could it not have been his wife, Akiko? Or maybe even Sara?” He continued. Iori shrugged. “It’s true that it could have been his wife, but it’s unlikely that it was Sara. She was looking for the Cup too, and while some of the early clues were probably left by her, I believe this far ahead it must have been one of her parents.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “I agree. I believe that Sara left the clues that lead us to the chest with the cylinders and the first relic. Seeing as it was her recordings, she must have been the one to hide them. But I think it’s safe to assume that all of the other relics and clues were hidden by her mother or father.” He said. 

“Maybe it doesn’t matter.” Nagi said, catching them all of guard. “What do you mean, Nagicchi?” Tamaki asked, a frown on his face from confusion. “If Watanabe Ritsu and his wife had a common enemy that the riddle refers to, it won’t matter which one of them left it. And don’t we already know who that could be? Hasn’t Sara warned us about a special someone all this time? Isn’t it likely that it is the same person her parents saw as an enemy, as someone who wanted to steal their treasure for his own gain?” Nagi explained. 

“Tsukumo?” Riku asked and Nagi nodded. “Except,” Iori started. “From what we have recently learned, it’s likely that our Tsukumo Ryou isn’t the same Tsukumo as the one Sara was afraid of. Nanase-san, you said that it seemed like Sara and Tsukumo might have even been friends as children, right?” Iori asked. Riku nodded in affirmation. 

“If they were childhood friends, then the picture we found of a grown up Tsukumo from 1925 couldn’t have been of our caretaker. It was likely a relative of his, most likely his father.” Iori pointed out. 

“So, the enemy this riddle refers to is Tsukumo Ryou’s father?” Sougo asked. “That seems likely, yes.” Iori replied. “Okay, but how do we figure out what his pride was?” Riku asked. “Well…” Iori started. “I guess we have to look for something in this house that belonged to Tsukumo’s father.” He suggested. 

For the next few minutes, they were all throwing out ideas about what they thought could have belonged to him, but when they lived in a house full of ancient artefacts, it was a bit difficult to decide exactly who had owned them. Besides, they had to assume that most things had belonged to the Watanabes, not the Tsukumos. 

After a while, Riku suddenly realized something. “Wait, don’t we already know something that belonged to him?” He asked enthusiastically while looking at all of his friends, one at a time. “Do we?” Tamaki asked and the others all looked at Riku with the same confusion as Tamaki seemed to give off. 

Riku smirked and nodded. “If the one in the photo was Tsukumo’s father, then it had to be his voice on the cylinders as well, right? And didn’t Sara mention a certain something of his that scared her, something that caused us to believe it was actually Tsukumo because right now, he is the one who owns it.” He said. 

Nagi was the first one who understood what Riku was talking about. “Corbierre.” Was all he said, and the moment he did, it was as if he broke a bubble. Iori, Sougo and Tamaki immediately understood what Riku had been talking about. 

“You’re right. Corbierre must have belonged to Tsukumo’s father at first. Now, we can’t speak for his father, but we do know that Tsukumo really values Corbierre, it would definitely be his pride and joy.” Iori said. 

Riku nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He said. “So, do we believe that the final relic is hidden inside of Corbierre?” Tamaki asked. Simultaneously, Iori and Riku nodded, confirming this belief. 

“Hey…” Sougo said, catching the others’ attention. “Isn’t Tsukumo out right now? Do you think we could go check out his office?” He asked. The guys all looked at each other, no one gave Sougo a verbal answer, but they didn’t need to. All of them could tell from their expressions that they were ready to do this. 

And so, they all carefully left the room and headed towards Tsukumo’s office, quietly so that none of the other residents of Anubis House would discover them. Just like Sougo had said, the office was empty, much to their relief. “I can stand guard if you’d like?” Sougo offered. The others nodded, and without further ado, they headed into the room and walked up to the dead, stuffed raven. 

Corbierre was creepy and unsettling, there was no denying that fact, but something made the bird seem even scarier right now. It seemed almost alive, like it would rat them out the moment Tsukumo returned. Riku gulped. “Okay, how do we do this?” He asked. 

“The riddle said it would be hidden inside the core of their enemy’s pride, right? So, what? Do we just cut the bird open?” Tamaki asked, sounding mildly disgusted at the thought. Cutting open a dead bird had not been on his bucket list. 

Iori frowned. “I’d rather not. Tsukumo would without a doubt notice that immediately. Of course, if that is what would be necessary, I’d do it. But let’s hope there’s another way.” He said. The others were quick to agree, none of them were very keen on the idea of Tsukumo finding out that they had cut open his most prized possession. 

“Let’s see if there’s some sort of hidden compartment or something… Maybe my locket can open something?” Riku suggested. Iori nodded. “That’s a good place to start.” He agreed. Tamaki and Nagi nodded in agreement and so it was decided. 

Riku gulped as he walked up to Corbierre, his heart was beating hard in his chest from all the nerves, and the fact that it felt like the raven was staring into his very soul wasn’t offering much comfort. 

Riku started with examining the stand that Corbierre was stood on, hoping he wouldn’t have to touch the actual bird. It soon became apparent that he would have no such luck, there wasn’t anything on the stand that could be opened or moved, it also didn’t sound hollow when Riku tried to knock on it. 

With a sigh, Riku realized he would have to move on to the actual bird. He carefully started feeling around, but he wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for. It wasn't until five minutes later that he, much to his dismay, noticed that a certain part of Corbierre’s was in fact a bit loose. “Oh no…” Riku groaned. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Tamaki asked in concern. Riku gulped and turned to his friends. “It’s… It’s Corbierre’s head. I think I have to remove its head.” He said, his voice dripping with displeasure. “Oh…” Tamaki said as he understood what Riku was saying. “Do you want one of us to do it instead?” Iori offered, not wanting Riku to be put in such an uncomfortable situation. 

However, Riku simply shook his head. “No, I’ll do it. I started this, if this really turns out to be the end, it’s only right that I be the one who finishes it.” He said. Iori nodded and took a step back. 

Riku took a deep breath and braced himself as he turned back to the bird. Then, in one quick twist, he rotated Corbierre’s head before successfully pulling it off. “It came off.” He said, sounding a bit shocked, almost as if he hadn’t expected it to work. “Well? Is there anything in there?” Tamaki asked impatiently. 

Riku looked inside the cavity that was Corbierre’s insides, and there was in fact something in there. Riku reached inside and pulled out what looked like a small button in black, blue and gold. It was about the same size as a bottle cap and on the top, the word “END” was written in golden letters. Riku frowned and handed it to Iori before going back to Corbierre, checking to see if there was anything he had missed. 

While the other three observed the button, Riku concluded that other than the thing he had already found, Corbierre was empty. “There’s nothing else. That was all that was in there.” He said, sounding a bit dejected. He wouldn’t lie, that was very underwhelming. Riku had expected to find something a lot bigger, not a button with the word “END” on it. 

He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because at that moment, Sougo stormed into the office. “Tsukumo just got back, I hope you’re finished.” He said. Riku panicked as he realized that Corbierre’s head was still laying on the desk. He hurried to grab it and then quickly put it back on the raven’s body. He could tell it was a bit loose, but he didn’t have time to fix it. And so, Sibuna left the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final relic... What does it mean? I'll be back on Saturday with the continuation and I hope you're all excited! Here is a picture of the relic in the chandelier (folded): https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/9/99/Ankh6_3.png/revision/latest?cb=20110223021105  
> And here it us unfolded: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/a/a3/The_Demisphere.png/revision/latest?cb=20110315215253  
> And here's one of the final relic: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-house-of-anubis/images/3/3a/Ankh7.png/revision/latest?cb=20110223020942  
> (All of them are sort of really bad, but oh well)  
> With that, I'd also like to thank you for reading, as well as for leaving comments and kudos and supporting me in any way! It means a lot to me! <3


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibuna think about what comes next now that they have found the final relic and Tsukumo comes up with a new plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can find me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“Okay, what now?” Tamaki asked dejectedly while looking at all of the others. They had made it back to Nagi and Riku’s room, successfully avoiding Tsukumo on the way back. Now they just had to hope that he didn’t notice that Corbierre’s head had become loose.

They were all sat in a circle on the floor, in the very center lay the new relic that they had found inside of Corbierre. They were all staring at it, as if something could happen any second. But alas, nothing happened, much to all of their disappointment. 

“The riddle said this was the final relic… But all we found was a small button-like thing with the word ‘END’ on it… ‘END’ as in the end of the search? But if so, where’s the cup? Are we missing something? Maybe there was a riddle there that we missed…” Riku said, not knowing what to make of the situation. 

“I don’t know… I honestly don’t know what to do now.” Iori said. He picked up the final relic and turned it around in his hand. “It doesn’t open, you can’t turn any parts of it, no matter what we do, it doesn’t do anything. The word ‘END’ makes me think that there is nothing more, but if that is really the case, what about the Cup of Ankh? Where is it? How do we find it? What are we supposed to do now?” 

“Ugh.” Tamaki groaned. “We were so close to finding it! Why does it have to get complicated now?” He complained. “There has to be something we’re missing, there has to be an answer to this somewhere.” Iori said, refusing to just believe that this was it, that it all ended here and now. 

“What do you suggest then?” Sougo asked. Iori sighed. “That we go through everything again, the relics, the riddles, the cylinders. Somewhere there has to be something that we’re missing. Right now, I don’t know what else we could do.” He said. Nagi, Sougo, Tamaki and Riku all nodded, since none of them had any better ideas. 

“About the relics…” Riku started, making all of them turn to him with questioning looks. “I think we should hide them for now. Let’s start with the cylinders and the riddles, and while we’re looking through those, I think we should hide the relics away, to make sure no one sees that we have them.” He suggested. 

“Okay.” Iori said and the others nodded, also agreeing to Riku’s idea. “Where should we hide them?” Tamaki asked. “I was thinking of going back to the attic and bring them with me. I thought we could put them in the hidden room.” Riku explained. 

Iori nodded. “I can come with you if you’d like. The others could start going through the riddles again while we go up and hide the relics.” He offered. Riku smiled graciously and nodded. “That would be nice, yeah.” He said. Iori nodded and stood up. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” He said. 

Riku blinked up at him. “Right now?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Why not? Like we’ve already established, we’re running out of time, I don’t want to fail now that we’re so close. The sooner we get all of this sorted, the better.” He said with a smile. 

Riku nodded, giving Iori a determined expression. “Got it!” Riku exclaimed as he stood up, grabbed a bag and started gathering all of the relics that they had found, the puzzle box, the one that looked like the stem and foot of a wine glass, the tethering ring, the two small squares they got from Tsukumo’s safe, the demisphere from the chandelier and the “END” button. 

“Let’s go then.” Riku said as he hoisted up the bag with the seven relics inside. “Right.” Iori said and followed Riku to the door. “We’ll be back soon, but you can get started on the riddles. We can’t give up now that we’re this close to the end.” Iori said while looking at Tamaki, Sougo and Nagi. 

Tamaki smirked. “You got it! Be careful, don’t let Tsukumo know you’re going to the attic! Sibuna!” He exclaimed. “Sibuna.” Iori and Riku replied before leaving the room and their friends behind. 

They made quick work of picking the lock to the attic door before heading up the stairs to the now familiar collection of antiques. They were both silent as Riku fished out his locket from beneath his shirt before using it to open the door to the hidden room. He put the bag with the relics in one of the corners of the room, hoping that it would be safe there while they tried to figure something out. 

Riku was about to close the door to the hidden room once more when he suddenly froze. He could hear whispers, the same whispers as when he discovered the demisphere in the chandelier. He still couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, and he honestly wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to know. The voices really freaked him out after all. 

“Nanase-san? Is everything alright?” Iori asked in concern as he watched Riku freeze up. It was only when he reached out and lightly shook Riku’s shoulder that Riku seemed to snap out of his stupor. “Did you hear that?” Riku asked as he turned to Iori. “Hear what?” Iori asked confused. He had only heard the sound of both of their breathing. 

Riku gulped. “I… I think I might be going crazy…” Riku admitted, his breathing was picking up and all the dust that had gathered in the attic wasn’t really helping either. Iori frowned and started rubbing Riku’s arms, hoping to offer some comfort. “What are you talking about? Why would you think that?” Iori asked. 

“I’ve been hearing voices.” Riku told Iori. “Voices?” Iori questioned and Riku nodded. “The first time was when you suggested that we should look in the cellar for the demisphere. I heard these whispers that were telling me that we were wrong. I didn’t say anything because I also thought the cellar made the most sense and I didn’t even know if the voice had been real or not…” Riku started to explain. 

“The second time,” Riku continued. “Was in the entranceway the next morning. It started when I looked up at the chandelier. At first, I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but then I heard them repeating the riddle we were trying to solve at the time. That was how I realized the demisphere we were looking for was hidden in the lamp.” He admitted. 

“But after that, they stopped. The voices that is.” Riku said before his expression turned troubled. “I was starting to think it might just have been my imagination, but I heard them again. Just now. I don’t know what they were trying to say, I couldn’t understand, but it was definitely the same voices.” He explaimed. 

Riku now looked up, his eyes meeting Iori’s. “Please tell me I’m not going crazy…” He begged him. Iori felt bad for Riku, but he was also getting curious about the voices he had heard. The most important thing, however, was to calm Riku down right now. And so, Iori decided to pull the redhead in for a hug. 

“It’s okay. While I can’t say I heard anything just now, I don’t think you’re going crazy. It’s like with the dreams you have, right? They’re pointing us in the right direction, telling us when something is right or wrong.” He said. 

Riku tried to take a deep breath, but it sounded mostly shaky. With trembling hands, Riku returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around Iori’s torso and grabbing fistfuls of his shirt trying to keep himself steady. “But what if it’s all just in my head? I don’t want to hear things… I just… I don’t know what to do about it. I’m scared.” Riku said. 

“Don’t be.” Iori was quick to say, tightening his hold on Riku’s trembling frame. “I’m here for you, I’ll always be here for you, and I promise that you will be okay.” He then added. Iori could feel Riku nod against his shoulder. 

“You really don’t think I’m crazy?” Riku asked weekly. Iori smiled a small, yet fond smile, then he leaned back, without removing his arms from around Riku’s waist, so that he could look the other boy in the eyes. “I don’t. And even if you did go crazy, I’d still be right here by your side.” He said determinedly. 

Riku started tearing up hearing Iori say that. He was already aware of how he felt, but at that moment Riku almost felt all of his feelings for the other boy overflow. He was so grateful to him, and he was positive that he could not have gotten this far without him. “Thank you, Iori.” Riku said, putting as much feeling into those words as he possibly could. 

Iori smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. I want to stay by your side, I want to see you happy, and if I can help, that’s all I ask for.” He said. Riku laughed at that, but it was a fond laugh, a happy laugh, one that warmed Iori’s heart. 

“Hey, in a way, isn’t this where it all started? You came with me up here all that time ago, this was where I told you about Sara and the treasure. And now we’re back, just you and me, when we’re almost at the end of this.” Riku said. “Actually,” He continued. “I was a bit scared to tell you at first, but telling you about the treasure has been the best thing I’ve done since I got to this school. I couldn’t have done all of this if you hadn’t been there.” He said. 

Iori smiled sheepishly. “I’m sure you would have been able to make do without me somehow.” He said coyly, but Riku only shook his head. “No. No, I wouldn’t. Iori, I…” Riku started, but then his breath caught in his throat. The two of them were still holding onto one another, and Riku suddenly realized just how close they were. There were only a few inches between their faces. 

Riku gulped but he didn’t take his eyes off Iori’s for a second. Iori and Riku stood there for a few seconds, just looking at one another. Neither of them said anything, afraid that if they did, the moment would be over. They didn’t tell each other to lean in closer, but they both soon realized that they had started drifting towards one another by themselves. No one made a move to pull away, and no one thought it weird when their eyes started to flutter close and they were close enough to feel the heat radiating off the other’s lips. 

Mere millimeters separated them when they were startled by the sound of the door to the attic being thrown open. “Iorin! Rikkun! Is everything okay up there?” They heard Tamaki call out for them. 

Iori and Riku pulled away from one another faster than they thought possible, as if the others’ touch had suddenly been scalding hot. They were both wide eyed and panting, not quite sure what to make of their moment just now. “Uhm… Sorry about that.” Iori said, his face flushed a bright red as he made his way over to the stairs leading down, joining Tamaki at the bottom of the stairs. 

Riku was also blushing as he hurried to close the still open door to the hidden room before he also left the attic. _'I almost kissed Iori just now… Iori almost kissed me just now…'_ Riku thought. He knew his own feelings towards Iori had turned romantic somewhere down the road, but he hadn’t even dreamt that the other could possibly return them. _'It can’t be like that, can it? It was probably just my imagination…'_ Riku thought as he joined Iori and Tamaki before closing and locking the door to the attic behind him. 

The next afternoon, everyone in Anubis House (save for Tsukumo) had gathered in the living room. They were all doing their own thing while keeping each other company. Every once in a while, Riku would sneak a glance over at Iori. The other boy hadn’t said anything about what happened last night, and he hadn’t acted any differently around Riku either. 

Riku recalled how when they were interrupted, Iori had apologized. Maybe it really was just Riku’s imagination and Iori had just gotten caught up in the moment? Riku felt a stab of pain at that, he hadn’t realized until last night just how much he loved Iori. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but when the boy you like almost kisses you? That tends to signal that they might like you too. 

Riku sighed. He didn’t want to act weird around Iori, and if he regretted what happened last night and wanted to pretend like it never did, Riku would comply with that. Even though it hurt. 

However, Riku wasn’t given much time to think about what had happened between him and Iori last night much longer, because soon he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. When he picked it up, he was both shocked and delighted to see that it was a message from Tenn. Riku grinned, Tenn really had managed to find a working phone for himself. 

“What is it?” Riku heard Iori asking from where he was sat further down the sofa. “What do you mean?” Riku asked in confusion. Iori looked amused. “You’re grinning down at your phone, so what is it?” He then clarified. 

Riku smiled at him and motioned for Iori to come closer, which the raven-haired boy did. Riku then showed his phone to Iori so that he could see Tenn’s message. “He did it!” Was all Riku offered as an explanation, not wanting to say Tenn’s name out loud, since the fact that Tenn had managed to get ahold of a phone had to stay a secret. 

“That’s great!” Iori said and Riku nodded. “Yeah! What with him being ‘the chosen one’ and all, I figured it would be really helpful to be able to get in touch with him like this! And I may have just wanted to talk to my brother again…” Riku admitted sheepishly. 

Iori chuckled and smiled, but then his lips started to form a frown. Riku raised an eyebrow in silent question. Iori sighed. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, it’s about you and your brother.” He said. “Okay?” Riku asked, giving Iori permission to keep going. 

“I mean, the ones who are referring to Kujou-san as ‘the chosen one’ are Tsukumo and Kujou, right? But you two are twins, what do you suppose the chances are that they have the wrong brother? Or that maybe you both are the same?” Iori asked. Riku looked confused for a minute, but once he started to get it, his expression turn skeptic. “What are you implying?” He asked. 

“Just think about it for a second!” Iori exclaimed. “Sara has always been telling us that YOU has to be the one who finds this treasure. She reached out to you just a few days after you arrived, your brother was here for over three years, and based on what he knows about this quest, I think it’s safe to say that Sara never reached out to him.” Iori started to explain. 

“Then there is the fact that the locket we have only works for you. Now, I am aware that Kujou-san has never tried it, and it’s possible he can use it too, but we don’t know that for sure. You were the one who had those dreams and who heard the voices that showed you the way. I don’t think all of that is a coincidence.” Iori continued, then paused to let it all sink in. 

“Nanase-san, I think you may be the chosen one, not your brother.” Iori finished. Riku’s eyes widened and then he stood up, looking almost hurt. “No, that can’t be.” He said. “Why not?” Iori persisted. “Because!” Riku started. “I’m not special! And… And why would Tsukumo and Kujou be wrong? They’ve been doing this for a lot longer than we have, I think it’s safe to assume that they would be able to find the right chosen one.” He argued. 

“And yet, they’re not the ones who have been finding the relics and riddles, they’re not the ones who are moments away from finding the cup. That’s us! And we know we couldn’t have come this far without you.” Iori said. “No!” Riku yelled. 

“I don’t want to be the chosen one, it can’t be me.” He then whispered. That was when Iori realized what was going on, it wasn’t that Riku had never considered this, it wasn’t that he didn’t believe Iori, he was afraid. Most likely, Riku had already considered this fact, but he didn’t want it to be true, scared of what it would mean. 

“Please, don’t tell anyone else about your theory, not even the rest of Sibuna.” Riku whispered to Iori before walking away. Iori stared after him as he left, he could understand that it was scary, but he wasn’t sure if they could go on for much longer without acknowledging the possibility of Riku being the true chosen one. 

Tsukumo was sat in his office, sighing and talking to Corbierre. “We’re really running out of time, Corbierre. I can’t wait for this moment again, not when I’m this close to running out of the elixir. It has to be now, or I’ll never attain eternal life.” He said, running his hands through his hair. 

“I’m lost. I don’t know how to proceed from here…” He admitted. Dark circles were starting to form under his eyes. He had lied to Takamasa about already having the Cup of Ankh, but the truth would come out on the chosen day either way, and that day was fast approaching. Tsukumo needed to come up with a plan. 

Sighing again, Tsukumo pushed himself up and out of his chair, then started making his way down into the cellar. If he didn’t have any ideas about finding the cup, he could at least go down there and work on replicating the recipe for the elixir. His father was the one who had found out how to brew it and had done a big batch just before he went missing. That was the elixir that Tsukumo and Takamasa had been using to stay alive for so long. However, during the past year it had become apparent that they were both running out very fast. 

Tsukumo, unlike his father, had no access to the recipe. He had tried to analyze what was left behind by his dad, but he somehow couldn’t get it right, like he was still missing something. He wasn’t willing to give up though, not yet. Thinking this, he made his way down the stairs. 

Before he reached the door to the cellar, Tsukumo paused in the entranceway. He could hear voices coming from the living room, and he could tell they belonged to the same boys he knew were involved with Sara and the treasure. Holding his breath, he tried to listen to what they were saying. 

Most of what could be heard was very muted, and so, Tsukumo had a hard time making anything coherent out of what they were talking about. However, one slightly louder remark really caught his attention. “I don’t understand! We already have all of the relics, what are we supposed to do now?” He heard Nanase Riku exclaim. 

Tsukumo’s eyes widened in silent shock. _'They have found all of the relics? That means they have everything we need to get the cup…'_ Tsukumo thought to himself. Not wanting them to know he had overheard their conversation, Tsukumo quietly made his way back up to his office and to Corbierre. 

“Maybe our luck is turning around after all… We need to get the brats out of the house long enough to search every nook and cranny for those relics. I need to make sure I have an excuse for searching their rooms, and a way to ensure that they don’t come back in the middle of me doing so.” He whispered to his stuffed raven. 

Tsukumo picked up his computer, opened a new tab and soon placed an order, a smirk now adorning his face. “Yes… This should work nicely.” He said. “Now we just have to speak to the headmaster and make arrangements. You’ll see Corbierre, the Cup of Ankh will soon be ours.” 

Exactly one week later, the residents of Anubis House had all come back from school. Everything was as usual, until they heard Tsumugi let out a scream from the kitchen. One by one, the boys all ran in to see what was wrong, only to find her sitting on top of the counter, holding a frying pan in one hand, a spatula in the other and looking slightly terrified. 

“What happened?” Gaku asked, in shock from the scene before him and the rest. Tsumugi appeared to be too startled to come up with a proper answer, so instead she just pointed her spatula at one of the cabinets. This time, Mitsuki raised an eyebrow in question as he walked over to where Tsumugi was pointing. 

“No!” She finally managed to get out, making Mitsuki jump at the suddenness of her outburst. “M-m-m…” Tsumugi started stuttering out. “M-mice. We have mice.” She then said, shocking all of them. 

Mitsuki carefully opened the cabinet door, and sure enough, inside he saw two tiny white mice and the quickly closed the door again. That was when Riku let out a yelp and grabbed onto Iori with one arm and Nagi with the other. “There are more! One just ran over my foot!” He exclaimed before almost trying to climb his two friends to get off the floor. <Tsukumo cursed and started making his way out of the room. “Everybody out! Get out of the house!” He called out. Tsumugi jumped down onto the floor and ushered all of the boys out with her. 

Now they were all stood outside of the house while Tsukumo made some calls. A few minutes later, he came back. “Okay, I’ve been talking to some people, and they will come here and take care of our rodent problem later this afternoon. Now, the most probable reason for this sudden outbreak of mice is that one or some of you have been keeping snacks or food in your rooms, which you are not allowed to do.” Tsukumo said. To his side, Riku could see Tamaki flinching, which led Riku to believe that his friends had done just that. 

Tsukumo soon continued. “Because of this, once our mice problem has been taken care of, I will conduct a thorough search of the house, and confiscate everything that is edible. This will take a while, so I’ve contacted your headmaster and he will set up a temporary place for you to sleep tonight. You may go back inside and grab a change of clothes, but to ensure that nobody sneaks any snacks out of their room, I will also do a bag search before you leave, understood?” He asked. 

“Understood!” They all answered in unison as they started heading back inside. Riku turned to Nagi and Sougo as they headed up to the second floor. “This is really bad! What are we going to do?” He asked. “We can’t bring any of the riddles with us since he will search our bags… But if we just leave them here, Tsukumo will find it all.” Nagi clarified. “We are so screwed.” Riku agreed, now really worried about what was going to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, only five more chapters to go now! We're really getting close! Quite a bit of Ioriku in this chapter, but alas, they were interrupted... sorry... I'll be back on Monday with the next chapter, where you'll see what Sibuna decides to do about the new problem! Thank you for reading, and also for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibuna has to come up with a solution to how they will manage to go back and get the relics before Tsukumo can find them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again with the next chapter! I hope you guys will enjoy it! ^^ If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can find me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

Being in the school so late in the afternoon was strange to say the least. It was earie how empty and quiet it was, along with the fact that they had only turned on the lamps that were absolutely necessary. A dark, empty and silent school building was not all that inviting.

Riku was currently pacing back and forth while Iori, Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo watched him with concerned gazes. The five of them had managed to sneak off to an empty classroom so that they could discuss what to do now. Because of the bag search, they had not been able to bring anything related to the treasure in fear of what Tsukumo would do. However, that meant that everything was left behind in the house, the house that Tsukumo was probably turning inside out at this very moment. 

“We are so screwed. What are we supposed to do now? Nothing! We can’t do anything! Tsukumo will find it all and then we will have failed!” Riku exclaimed without ceasing his nervous pacing. Not being able to take it anymore, Iori stood up, grabbed Riku’s hand and made the redhead stop in his tracks and turn desperate eyes at Iori. 

“I’m going to tell you what we’re going to do now. First of all, you are going to sit down, take some deep breaths and calm down. Panicking won’t help us. Then, we, as a team, are going to discuss how to solve this. We’re not just going to give up.” Iori said sternly, his relentless gaze not leaving Riku’s eyes for even a second. 

Riku was still visibly upset and shaken, but he nodded and let Iori guide him down onto a chair before doing as he said and took some deep breaths. Iori didn’t leave his side for a second, which Riku couldn’t be more grateful for. He felt as if the other boy’s presence grounded him, made him able to breath properly. 

"Still, it's strange, isn't it? It's a bit too convenient for the house to get infested with mice when we're so close to ending all of this..." Sougo observed. "Tsukumo must have staged it somehow." Iori said and Nagi nodded in agreement. "Of course he did, didn't you notice?" He asked. 

The others all looked at him in confusion, not sure exactly what he was getting at. Nagi sighed. "The mice were white, which means they're not wild. How would the house suddenly get infested by pet mice?" He asked with a smirk. 

Realization dawned on the others. "Tsukumo must have bought and planted them." Sougo said. "It doesn't matter how he did it." Iori stated. "What's important is that we find a way to solve the situation." He then added. 

“I know you said we should think of something to do, but Iorin, is there anything we can do?” Tamaki asked, sounding dejected. Iori nodded. “There has to be.” He said before pulling out a notebook he had brought along with a pen. “Okay, let’s just think this through. We need to somehow get back to the house without Tsukumo learning that we were there. That also means we can’t let the headmaster know we left the school, since he will definitely let Tsukumo know.” Iori explained. 

“Avoiding Tsukumo is one thing.” Sougo started. “But the headmaster is patrolling around the hallways as if we’re in a military camp. How do we make sure he doesn’t find out?” He asked. 

“I think we’re going to have to split up. Some people will stay here and deal with the headmaster while the others go back to the house.” Nagi suggested, earning nods in agreement from Iori. “I agree. Better yet, maybe we can put the headmaster out of commission and have Tsukumo come here and help him. That way, the ones who go back to the house can easily get the things we need.” Iori added. 

“But how do we take care of the headmaster?” Riku asked skeptically. That was when Tamaki started grinning. “We could lock him inside his office. He would have to call Tsukumo for help!” Tamaki suggested. 

“What about Tsumugi? Since she’s here with us, wouldn’t he just try and contact her? And there are other people in the area too, he knows Tsukumo is busy searching the house, so he might not go to him for help.” Nagi pointed out. 

Tamaki frowned. “Then we can lock Tsumugi in the office with him!” He exclaimed. The others all looked at him in disbelief. “Wow, would you actually be willing to lock her away with our headmaster?” Nagi asked. “I do feel bad for her, but Yotsuba-san is right, that might actually be the best way to do this.” Iori added. 

“That still doesn’t ensure that he will call Tsukumo, though. He could still call someone else for help.” Nagi pointed out. “Then we steal his mobile and disconnect the phone in the office!” Tamaki suggested enthusiastically. 

“Then how is he supposed to call Tsukumo?” Iori asked, a deadpan expression on his face. That, however, got Nagi to stand up suddenly, looking as if he had just had an epiphany. “What if he doesn’t have to be the one who calls Tsukumo? If we go through with Tamaki’s plan, that means he and Tsumugi will both be stuck in Yaotome’s office. Then, one of us could call Tsukumo, pretending to be the headmaster, and ask him to come and help!” He explained. 

“And you think any of us could pull off an impression of our headmaster?” Iori asked skeptically. Nagi frowned, but it seems as if Tamaki came up with another solution. “What if we ask Gakkun to do it? He could definitely sound like his father!” Tamaki suggested. 

Iori shook his head. “I’d rather not ask Yaotome-san. He may not get along with his dad, but I doubt he would approve of us locking him and Tsumugi up.” He said. “Then what about Yama-san? He’s really good at impersonations! And he’d probably not mind too much.” Tamaki argued. 

“You’re making Yamato-san out to be a horrible person…” Sougo pointed out, to which Tamaki only smiled sheepishly. “What would we tell him though?” Riku asked. “I don’t want to tell anyone else about the treasure unless we absolutely have to.” He then said. 

“We could just tell him that there is something really important we need to get back at the house. If there’s anyone who won’t ask for details, it’s him.” Iori said, finally agreeing to one of Tamaki’s plans. “Does this mean we’re doing this? Are we going with this plan?” Tamaki asked excitedly. 

Just as they were about to answer him, they were all interrupted by Tsumugi abruptly opening the door and smiling at them. “There you boys are! I was looking for you! I’ve been asked to take everyone’s preference so that we can order some take-out for tonight.” She explained. 

Once they had all regained their composure after Tsumugi had startled them with the suddenness of her appearance, the five members of Sibuna all got up and followed Tsumugi back to the student lounge where the others were waiting. 

“Okay, listen up everybody! We’re going to order some pizza, so if everyone could please tell me what you would want, I’d appreciate that!” Tsumugi explained, after which everyone started discussing what type of pizza they would want. 

However, Riku saw it as an opportunity and gathered Iori, Tamaki, Sougo and Nagi around him again. “Guys, if some of us offers to place the order, we can use that as an excuse to go into Yaotome’s office and use, then disconnect the phone!” He exclaimed. 

“That could work!” Iori agreed with a smile and the others nodded. “Then, how about Nanase-san and I go place the order, and then immediately heads out with the excuse that we’re going to wait for the food, but in actuality we’re going to go back to the house? In the meantime, the three of you could trap the headmaster and Tsumugi in the office and then go make Nikaido-san make the call.” Iori suggested. 

Tamaki and Sougo nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll text you and let you know once we have the headmaster and Tsumugi locked in the office. If you’re waiting outside, you can check when Tsukumo leaves and then go inside once it’s empty.” Nagi offered. Iori and Riku nodded in agreement. 

“Okay, it’s a bit rough, but we have a plan. Let’s go.” Iori said before going over to Tsumugi with Riku in tow. They started by telling her what they would all like to order and then offered to go and place the order for her. Tsumugi smiled brightly at them. “Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you!” She exclaimed. 

Iori and Riku then hurriedly made their way over to the headmaster’s office. They ran into Sousuke on the way there and informed him that they intended to order the food. He begrudgingly agreed and allowed them to make the call from his office. 

Iori and Riku called the pizzeria, then Iori managed to disconnect the phone so that it couldn’t be used for the time being. While he did that, Riku found a key to the office laying on the desk, and so, he grabbed it and threw a mischievous grin Iori’s way. The raven-haired boy returned it. 

When they were done, they quickly met up with Tamaki, Nagi and Sougo. “Okay, we’re heading out now. Let us know once you’ve taken care of Yaotome and Tsumugi.” Iori said. Nagi nodded. “Got it. You two be careful.” He said. Riku and Iori nodded and then left the school building. They were going to make sure Tsukumo didn’t ruin everything they had worked so hard to do for so long. It was now or never. 

“Okay, now that Iori and Riku have left, we need to figure out a way to get the headmaster and Tsumugi into the office at the same time before locking it. We also need to figure out what to say to Yamato in order to get his help…” Nagi said as he, Tamaki and Sougo were trying to figure out the best way to follow through with their plan. 

“Maybe if we go talk to Yama-san first, he can help us come up with a plan for getting them into the office?” Tamaki suggested. Nagi and Sougo seemed to consider this for a while, but soon nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s do that then.” Sougo declared. 

With that, the three quickly walked off to try and find their friend. First, they looked in the student lounge, where Tsumugi had just finished setting up all the beds for the night with the help of Gaku and Ryuu. There was no sign of their bespectacled friend in there however, and so the three moved on. 

Soon, they found Mitsuki leaning against a wall outside the toilets and decided to ask him. “Mikki! Hello! Have you seen Yama-san anywhere?” Tamaki called out. 

Mitsuki started grinning as he saw Tamaki jog over, closely followed by Nagi and Sougo. “Yeah, he’s in the bathroom. I’m waiting for him to finish. He’s been in there for so long, I’m convinced he’s taking a huge dump.” He said, grin never once leaving his face. 

As if on que, the door to the toilets opened and Yamato walked out. “I was in fact, as you put it, taking a huge dump.” He said, smirking at Mitsuki. “Ew, that’s gross, you did not need to share that.” Mitsuki said. Yamato simply shrugged. “You suggested it.” He replied before turning to Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo. “Did you need me for something?” He asked. 

“As a matter of fact, we do.” Nagi answered with a smile. “We need your help with something.” Sougo added. Yamato raised an eyebrow in question. “Oh? What could that be?” He asked, now intrigued. Tamaki was about to explain, but Nagi and Sougo simultaneously stopped him. When he gave them a confused look in return, they only motioned to Mitsuki, seeing as they were only supposed to involve Yamato in this. 

Mitsuki noticed them being vary of him and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on guys! If it’s something embarrassing or secret, you don’t have to worry, my lips are sealed. I’ll even help you too!” He exclaimed. Tamaki frowned and whispered so that only Nagi and Sougo could hear him. “Do you think Iorin and Rikkun will be mad if we drag Mikki into this too?” He asked. 

“Well…” Sougo started, sounding a bit vary. “Considering that we aren’t telling Yamato the truth about the treasure and why Iori and Riku have to return to the house, I suppose it would be fine to have Mitsuki know about it too? We could use the extra help.” Nagi said. Tamaki nodded, and after considering it for a while, Sougo did the same. 

The three turned back to Yamato and Mitsuki again before starting to explain what they were about to do. “Okay, so Iori and Riku are actually headed back to the house as we speak. They really needed to get something without Tsukumo noticing and we need your help to make sure they don’t get in trouble.” Nagi said. 

Yamato looked surprised and Mitsuki frowned. “Wait, Iori and Riku are on their way back to the house? What could they have that Tsukumo can’t find?” Mitsuki asked in confusion. Tamaki looked a bit nervous, they hadn’t discussed what excuse to give if they asked. Luckily, Nagi was quick to come up with an idea. 

“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone, but Riku has been secretly talking to Kujou-shi since shortly after we did that video call. He has this secret phone, but since we’re not supposed to stay in touch with him right now, Tsukumo would definitely be angry if he found it. And Riku left that phone back in our room.” Nagi explained. It wasn’t all lies, Riku had been talking to Tenn in secret, he just didn’t have a separate phone to do so. 

Mitsuki and Yamato seemed to accept that explanation as their expressions changed from confusion to understanding, and a little bit of pity for the twins. “Okay, I get the situation, but what do you need us to do?” Yamato asked, meaning he would help them. 

Nagi smirked. “Well, in order to make sure that nobody finds out that they left the school, we’re going to lock the headmaster and Tsumugi up inside the headmaster’s office. The phone in there has been disconnected, so they won’t be able to contact anyone.” He started. 

“Wow, poor Tsumugi.” Yamato stated and Mitsuki nodded. “Desperate times calls for desperate measures.” Tamaki commented, making Yamato chuckle. “Once they’re in the office,” Nagi continued to explain. “We’re going to call Tsukumo from one of our phones, and we need you, Yamato, to pretend to be the headmaster and lure him away from the house and here to the school so that Iori and Riku can get the phone without being discovered.” He finished. 

“I see…” Yamato said, considering the plan for a minute. “I suppose I could do that, it won’t be that difficult to recreate his voice. How are we going to lock the headmaster up with Tsumugi though?” He asked. 

Tamaki grinned. “Leave that to us! We already have a plan for that!” He exclaimed. “Mitsuki-san, Yamato-san, while we take care of that, could you two make sure that Yaotome-san and Tsunashi-san stays in the student lounge? It would be a problem if they interrupted our plan…” Sougo suggested. 

Mitsuki smiled and nodded. “Got it! I’d be glad to help.” He said. “Great! Then we should get started so that we don’t make Rikkun and Iorin wait for too long!” Tamaki said as he ran off, Nagi and Sougo in tow. Meanwhile, Mitsuki and Yamato headed off in the direction of the student lounge. It was time to put their plan into action. 

Riku shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. Since it was late autumn by now, it was constantly getting colder. He and Iori were crouched behind some bushes outside of Anubis House, waiting for Tamaki and the others to get Tsukumo to leave. 

“Are you getting cold?” Iori asked quietly, making Riku turn and blink his eyes up at him. “Kind of… But it’s not so bad.” He said, giving Iori a small smile. Iori frowned. “It’s not good for you to get cold because of your condition, right? Do you want my jacket?” He asked in concern. 

Riku however, only gave Iori a bigger smile and shook his head. “Nah, I’m fine. Thanks though.” He replied, but it was obvious that Iori didn’t buy it, based on the look he was sending Riku’s way. Riku just sighed and instead scooted closer to Iori, so that now they were touching from their shoulders to their knees. 

Iori felt his face heat up but Riku only kept smiling. “There, happy now? This way it won’t be as cold, and you can keep your jacket.” He said. Iori had to look away due to embarrassment, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away, not now that he had the object of his affection pressed up against his side. 

Iori gulped down his nerves and decided to make a move. He was still a bit shaken from that moment between him and Riku in the attic, he wasn’t sure what it meant or where to go from there. But he knew that nothing would happen if they both did nothing. Riku had moved closer, so that meant Iori had to make the next move if this was to become something. And so, with the excuse of keeping Riku warm, Iori started rearranging his arm so that he could wrap it around the redhead’s shoulders and pull him even closer. 

Only he never actually got to do that as the phone in his pocket started vibrating, signaling a call. Iori quickly retracted his arm and instead buried it in his pocket in order to dig out his phone. With his face still bright pink from what he had been about to do, Iori quickly answered the call, which was from Tamaki. 

“Iorin, Yama-san just managed to convince Tsukumo to come over to the school! He should be leaving the house any minute now!” Tamaki said, sounding very proud of himself. “Good! That’s really good. I take it everything went according to plan then?” He asked. “Yep! Except we may have involved Mikki too… But we didn’t tell him and Yama-san the truth, so it’s all good!” Tamaki replied. 

Iori sighed. “Of course you did… Well, as long as you stuck to the plan and didn’t tell them anything, it’s all good I guess.” He said before he notice the door to Anubis House open. “Okay, Tsukumo’s leaving now, so see you later.” Iori said quickly and quietly before hanging up on his friend. 

Iori and Riku then watched as an annoyed looking Tsukumo stomped away from the house, muttering under his breath. The moment he was out of sight, Riku started pulling on the sleeve of Iori’s jacket and dragging him back towards the house. “Let’s go, we have to hurry!” He exclaimed. Iori nodded and followed. 

The moment they entered the house they both had to stop for a second just to take in the sight before them. It was total chaos, when Tsukumo had said he would search every nook and cranny, he really meant it. “Oh god…” Riku exclaimed. 

“How much do you think he has found so far?” Iori asked, sounding a bit worried. “I don’t know… But the only thing he absolutely can’t get his hands on are the relics. Everything else, we still have copies of, the clues and the like. Besides, those clues won’t make much sense if you don’t know the correct order, and they only led the way to the relics, which we already have.” Riku responded and Iori nodded. 

“I’m going to check my room real quick, see if he’s taken any of the things we kept in there.” Iori said. Riku nodded, agreeing that doing that would be a good idea. “Then I’ll check my own room. Meet me there once you’re done?” He suggested. “I will. Good luck.” Iori said before heading down the hallway to his own room. 

Riku turned around and instead headed up the stairs to the room that he shared with Nagi. Once he reached it, Riku let out a small gasp. The entire room was a mess, furniture had been moved, their wardrobe had been emptied, matrasses had been pushed off the beds. 

Riku looked around for a few minutes before sighing. Tsukumo had taken almost everything he had kept there related to the search. The only things that had been left behind was the box of things that Sara had given to him after she passed away, and that must have been because it wasn’t obvious that those belonged to her in the first place. Though, on closer inspection, Riku noticed that the file containing documents on the Kujou family who had adopted Sara was gone. Riku sighed, while they had photos of those documents, it still would have been better to have the physical copies. 

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Riku turned around to see Iori standing in the opening. “How bad is it?” The raven-haired boy asked. Riku frowned and shook his head. “He took it all. The only stuff he hasn’t taken is what Sara gave me, and that’s technically not related to the treasure. I think. Though he did take the documents on the Kujou family.” He explained. 

Iori nodded. “Yeah, my room was the same. The little that was in there, Tsukumo has taken.” He said. Riku sighed and took one last look around the room. “Well, that’s about what we expected. Come on, we have to go up and check on the relics.” He said before standing up and joining Iori out in the hallway. 

The two quickly made their way up to the attic, which wasn’t difficult since Tsukumo had left the door unlocked. Once they were up there, they could see that it was definitely messier than usual, but nowhere near the same state as the rest of the house. “He must have been in the middle of searching this place when he was called over to the school.” Iori speculated. 

Riku nodded. “Good thing they called when they did, otherwise he might have gotten much farther.” He commented. The two boys then made their way over to the hidden room, Riku opened it with his locket and they both let out a breath of relief once they saw that what they had left there was all still safely tucked away in the corner of the hidden room. 

“Looks like he didn’t find this place yet.” Riku said with a smile directed at Iori. Iori smiled back. “Yeah.” He replied, sounding relieved. “So,” Riku started, turning back to the hidden room. “we definitely need to take the bag with all the relics, but what about the other stuff? I mean, we can’t take the painting of Sara, but should we take or leave the cylinders and the phonograph?” He asked. 

Iori considered the options for a while. “Well, they are pretty big to carry around, and it would be difficult to find a safe hiding place for them… And we do have all of them recorded still… Maybe we can leave them? I don’t think it would be the end of the world if Tsukumo finds them, and that’s still only if he manages to figure out that there’s a hidden room here in the attic.” He said. 

Riku nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, let’s leave them here.” He said. “I guess that means we’re done… Should we head back?” Riku then added. Iori nodded. “Yeah, the longer we’re gone, the more suspicious it will be. And besides, Tsukumo could return any minute.” He said. 

And with that, Riku closed the door to the hidden room again and then he followed Iori out of the attic, down the stairs and out of the house. They had to be careful walking back, so that if they ran into Tsukumo on the way back, he wouldn’t see them coming back from the house carrying a duffle bag. That would really be suspicious. 

“What do we do with the relics now? Do we hide them on the way? Or do we bring them back to the school?” Riku asked, a bit concerned with getting found out. “I say we bring them to the school, at least for tonight. We can put them in my locker and then discuss with the others what to do with them in the long run.” Iori answered. 

Riku nodded in agreement. When they reached the school, the were relieved that they had made it all the way there without running into Tsukumo or anyone else. Their relief was short-lived however, as just before they were about to open the door to the school, someone called out to them. “Hey, you there!” And they froze, shoulders tense as they turned around to face whoever had spotted them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who might that be? Are Iori and Riku in trouble? Find out on Wednesday, because that's when I'll be back with the next chapter! Thank you for reading and I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you for leaving comments and kudos, they mean the world to me! <3


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku got back from the house, but who noticed them outside the school? Meanwhile, Tamaki, Sougo and Nagi has to think of an excuse as to where the two are now that Sousuke is out if his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm back with the next chapter ^^ Now we realy are getting cose to the end, I guess you could say that we're entering the final arc with this chapter! And in just one week I'll post the final chapter! I'm excited and I hope you guys are too! With that said, please enjoy this update. If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can find me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

“How does one even manage to lock themselves in their own office?!” Tsukumo asked angrily as he helped Sousuke and Tsumugi get out of the previously locked room. He was annoyed that he had been made to leave the house, he just lost valuable time that could have been used to continue his search.

“I am sorry, I don’t know how it happened.” Sousuke admitted, looking a bit ashamed as he did. “It was lucky that you came for us though! Thank you!” Tsumugi said, looking relieved to finally be out of there. She seemed to be okay, but Nagi, Tamaki, Sougo, Mitsuki and Yamato still felt bad for locking her up with the headmaster. 

They all watched as Tsukumo sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well, now that that’s over, I need to head back. Excuse me.” He said, and with that he left the school. “Let’s hope that Iori-kun and Riku-kun are finished.” Sougo whispered so that only Nagi and Tamaki would hear him. The other two nodded in agreement. 

That was when Sousuke turned to them with a cold glare. “What are you looking at?! And where are Nanase Riku and Izumi Iori? Since this was such a spectacle, how come they’re not here watching with the rest of you?” He asked, sounding both irritated and suspicious. Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo gulped and looked at each other, what were they supposed to say now? 

“Uhm… They left to go to the bathroom a while ago…” Tamaki tried, though he didn’t sound very convincing. Sousuke raised an eyebrow, his entire expression told them he doubted that was the case. “Oh, yeah? I know for a fact that you have all been standing out there for the past ten minutes, shouldn’t they be back by now?” He asked. 

Tamaki could feel the sweat running down the back of his neck as he tried to swallow his nerves. “Uh, well… You see, that’s…” He started, but he couldn’t really form a coherent response. “Maybe they ran into some trouble?” Nagi suggested, trying to save Tamaki from this predicament. 

At that, Tsumugi looked concerned. “Oh my, I hope they are both okay…” She said. Sousuke only rolled his eyes. “No one is allowed to leave the school, if I find out they’ve left, I will-” He started, which made the remaining Sibuna members panic a bit. “I’m sure they’re around here somewhere!” Mitsuki exclaimed, interrupting the headmaster before he could even finish his sentence. Mitsuki must have wanted to try and protect his little brother. 

Sousuke was about to keep arguing, but it was right at that moment that the door at the end of the hallway opened, and through it stepped Iori and Riku carrying multiple pizza boxes. “Sorry, we happened to see that the delivery guy had arrived on our way back from the bathroom and decided to go pick them up! Is anyone hungry?” Riku asked, a sheepish smile on his face. 

Sousuke frowned but seemed to finally buy their excuses. Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo all relaxed and smiled as they saw them. And together, all residents of Anubis House, followed by Tsumugi, walked over to the lounge so that they could eat their pizza. 

While eating, Sibuna were joined by Mitsuki and Yamato, who wanted to know if Iori and Riku had gotten what they went back for. Luckily, Iori and Riku managed to play along, having been texted an explanation by Nagi earlier as to what excuse they had given the two other boys. A while later, Gaku and Ryuu also joined them. It was fun, but because all of them were together, Iori and Riku couldn’t tell the other three Sibuna members about what had happened at the house. 

It was only about an hour later that they managed to sneak off to a quiet corner of the room where they could discuss things alone as long as they didn’t raise their voices too much. “So? How did it go?” Tamaki asked eagerly once they were far enough away to not be heard. 

“It went okay, we got the relics.” Riku said with a smile. “But Tsukumo has probably found pretty much everything else. The house was a mess when we got there. We left the cylinders and the phonograph in the hidden room, they were a bit too heavy to bring with us, but even if he does find them, I don’t think it will be the end of the world.” Iori added. 

“I see…” Nagi said. “Ugh, I hope he cleans up after himself! I really don’t want to be forced to clean up whatever mess he makes in the house while we’re gone!” Tamaki exclaimed, already looking tired by the thought alone. “At least he didn’t get the relics.” Sougo added, trying to sound encouraging. 

The others nodded. “Speaking of the relics, where are they now?” Nagi then asked. “In my locker. Me and Nanase-san decided to leave them there until after school tomorrow. Then we can meet up somewhere more private and decide where to keep them from now on.” Iori explained and the others agreed that that would be for the best. 

“By the way, how did you guys time that return so perfectly?” Tamaki asked, now with a grin on his face. Iori and Riku looked at each other for a second, smiling as they did so. “We got lucky. Just as we came back, the delivery guy arrived. They called out to us, which scared the crap out of us both, we thought it was Tsukumo or something! But anyway, we grabbed the pizzas and it turns out that was the perfect cover story!” Riku explained. 

“Yeah, that was really lucky! The headmaster was just about to go looking for you! He was so angry!” Nagi exclaimed. “I can’t believe that actually worked out. We’re amazing!” Riku said happily. Tamaki grinned and gave him a high five. “Yeah, go Sibuna!” He said. The others smiled back. “Sibuna!” They all exclaimed in unison, glad that their plan to retrieve the relics had actually worked. 

The night passed by surprisingly quickly, everyone played games together for a while before going to bed. The next day, school was just as usual. The headmaster sought them out during lunch, telling them that they were allowed to go back to the house that afternoon, as Tsukumo had finished his search. 

Once school ended, the five members of Sibuna did not go straight home, however. Instead they took a detour through the woods behind the house, settling down in the clearing closest to the house. They all sat down in a circle and then Iori placed all the seven relics down on the ground in the center of the circle they had formed. 

“We need to decide where to keep these until we know what to do with them.” Iori stated. “And we absolutely can’t let Tsukumo or the teachers find them.” Nagi added. “Maybe we could bury them here in the forest? I doubt anyone would come looking here…” Tamaki suggested. Sougo shook his head. “but Tamaki-kun, if we need them quickly, it will take too long to come out here and dig them up again.” He pointed out. 

“Sougo-san is right, we need them to be accessible but also safe. And honestly, I don’t know if that’s possible…” Riku admitted. “What do you want to do then?” Iori asked gently, turning to Riku for answers. Riku sighed. “Actually, I was thinking that maybe it would be best if we carried them with us at all times. That way we’ll at least know for sure if something happens to them.” He suggested. 

“That’s a good idea. There are seven relics, so if we each take one and then two of us can take one more, and then we just keep them on our bodies at all times. That might be the best alternative.” Nagi said, smiling and nodding at Riku. 

“Cool! I want this one then! It looks cool!” Tamaki exclaimed as he reached out and grabbed ahold of the long and slim relic, the one that looked like the bottom part of a wine glass. “I’ll take these two, if that’s okay with all of you?” Iori said, reaching out for the two small, square relics, the ones that they took from Tsukumo’s safe. The others nodded, telling him they were fine with that. 

“I’ll take the one we found in the chandelier! I almost fainted for that one, after all.” Nagi said with a grin. “Don’t you mean pretended to faint?” Riku asked with an amused smile. “Yeah, but it sounds more exciting if I said it like I actually fainted.” Nagi answered, chuckling all the while. 

“Sougo-san, which one do you want? I can take the two that’s left.” Riku said, turning to Sougo, who was looking down at the remaining three relics. “Hmm, I guess I’ll take the ring then. It’s the biggest, so it will be easier for you if you can take the two smaller ones.” He said, smiling at Riku as he grabbed the tethering ring. 

Riku smiled and nodded as he reached out and took the final two relics, the puzzle box and the END button. “Now we just have to be careful and keep these safe. They have to be important, I’m just not sure how yet.” Riku said. 

Iori reached out and grabbed Riku’s knee while giving him a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out, I’m sure of it.” He said. Riku smiled back, he also believed that they would be able to figure it out one way or another. 

The next day, which was Friday, the headmaster called the entire school over to the auditorium for an announcement. Riku was a bit confused, but nobody else seemed taken aback by the fact that they were being called. He was about to ask Iori about it but didn’t get a chance to as Tamaki started dragging them both away, chatting about anything and everything all the while. 

Most students were already in the auditorium by the time Riku, Iori and Tamaki got there, which meant there weren’t any seats left. Thus, the three friends leaned against one of the walls in the back with some other students that hadn’t gotten there in time to get a seat either. 

A minute later, Yaotome Sousuke stepped out on the stage at the front of the room and cleared his throat before he started talking. “As all of you surely know, the second term is coming to an end. Next week is our last week in school and then we’re taking a short break before starting the third and last term of the school year.” He started. 

Riku’s eyes widened in realization. He technically knew next week was the last of the second term, but it was only now that it fully sunk in. By next Friday, he would have finished an entire term here at Yaotome Academy. Time had gone by so fast, especially with everything that happened since he arrived at the school. 

Thinking back on it all, Riku was really happy that he had applied for that scholarship. Even if there had been a lot of ups and downs, he was so happy to have gotten so many wonderful friends. And even if it hadn’t gone exactly as planned, he had managed to reconnect with Tenn and he was sure he would be able to get him back sooner or later. Also, if he hadn’t come to Yaotome Academy he would probably never have met Iori. It had only been a few months, but Riku had never felt so much for a single person before. 

His train of thoughts was interrupted as the headmaster kept talking. “I’m going to keep this short, I’ll talk more about the term that’s coming to an end, as well as the next term, at a later time. What I called you here for right now is regarding the end-of-term party. As you know, we always end each term with a little dinner and party. And this time around, it will be held next Friday.” Sousuke explained. 

“All of your classes will finish by lunch that day, and then we’ll all have a few hours to prepare before meeting again here at the school at seven. We’ll keep the party going until midnight as usual, and I hope to see as many of you attending that party as possible. That was all from me, thank you.” The headmaster finished and there was a round of applause before he exited the stage. Then the students slowly started filing out of the room as well shortly. 

Once they were out of the auditorium and had managed to get to a slightly calmer part of the school, Riku turned around to face Iori and Tamaki with a big smile on his face. “I can’t believe the term is almost over! It feels like I got here just yesterday!” He exclaimed. “This term did pass by really quickly!” Tamaki agreed happily. 

“And what’s the deal with that party? Does that always happen?” Riku asked curiously. Both Tamaki and Iori nodded in response. “Yeah, the school does one at the end of every term. The two of us have only been to one, obviously, but Nii-san has told me all about his many end-of-term parties.” Iori explained. 

“I see.” Riku replied. “Well, I’m looking forward to it!” He exclaimed before happily walking back to the classroom. Iori and Tamaki followed close behind him, but Tamaki soon grabbed ahold of Iori’s arm, thus stopping the raven-haired boy from entering the classroom. 

Iori furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but Tamaki only grinned, which honestly unnerved Iori more than it comforted him. “Iorin, I just got the best idea!” Tamaki exclaimed excitedly, making Iori frown. “Okay?” He asked skeptically, wanting Tamaki to elaborate before he agreed to anything. 

“Why don’t you ask Rikkun to go to the party with you? You know, as a date.” Tamaki suggested, whispering the last part. Iori’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed a bright red. “W-wha? Th-that’s… I can’t just-” Iori rambled, making Tamaki chuckle, he wasn’t used to seeing his normally composed friend becoming so flustered, and he wasn’t complaining. 

“Come on! You should do it!” Tamaki tried to persuade Iori, who only scoffed in return as he tried to collect himself. “I can’t! I don’t know how to ask someone out! I’ll just make a total fool out of myself! And besides, what if he says no?” Iori asked, sounding horrified at the thought. 

Tamaki rolled his eyes. “Okay, first of all, he won’t say no, trust me. Secondly, if you never try, you won’t know, will you? Nothing’s going to happen if you just sit back and do nothing. Take it from me, as your self-proclaimed best friend, everything will be fine! He totally likes you back! So just go for it!” The blue-haired boy said, really trying to convince Iori to do it. 

Iori was about to keep arguing when the very person they had been discussing popped back out into the hallway with a concerned look on his face. “What are you guys doing? Class is starting again!” Riku said in concern. Iori blushed as he nodded and followed Riku inside. He did not miss the way Tamaki was grinning and winking at him as he passed. Even though the thought of asking Riku out terrified him, Iori had to admit that it was also awfully tempting. 

Tsukumo was rudely woken up from his nap that afternoon by someone calling him on his cellphone. He grunted as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before answering. “Hello?” He answered. “Tsukumo? It’s me, Sousuke. You have to come to the school, now. Kujou wants to speak with us all.” Sousuke said, sounding awfully serious on the other end. 

Tsukumo swore under his breath, he really wasn’t in the mood for meeting with someone like Kujou, in fact, he’d be happy if he could never see that man again. Still, he knew things would only get worse if he kept him waiting, and so, he put on his coat and headed outside. 

Once he got to the school, Tsukumo could see Anesagi waiting for him outside. They did not look happy. “Come on, he’s gathered all seven of us. I have a feeling this won’t be pretty, he looked super serious.” They said. Tsukumo frowned and nodded. He didn’t have to ask in order to figure out who Anesagi was talking about. 

The two of them walked through the now empty hallways of the school and soon reached the headmaster’s office where the others were waiting for them. 

“Finally, took you long enough.” Takamasa said as Tsukumo and Anesagi entered. Tsukumo only rolled his eyes as an answer. “What are you doing here?” He then asked. 

Takamasa clicked his tongue and sighed. “It shouldn’t take a genius to that figure out. The chosen hour approaches quickly and I need to know that we’re prepared. I have the boy, the acolytes have all been accounted for, but what about the cup? Do you have it?” He asked, directing the last question to Tsukumo. 

Everyone else turned to him as well, and Tsukumo could feel the weight of all of their gazes. “No, but-” He admitted, though he wasn’t given the chance to explain before Takamasa loudly punched the table, interrupting him. “No? I thought you told me before that you had it under control.” He questioned, looking awfully angry. 

“You didn’t let me explain!” Tsukumo explained. “I don’t have it yet, but it’s not a problem. It’s those brats, I overheard them talking the other day and they said that they had found all the relics. I searched the house but couldn’t find where they had hidden them, but it’s just a matter of time! We still have enough time for me to find them and take them from the kids!” He added. 

Takamasa glared at him. “You’ve had your chance, and you’ve clearly failed. We are running out of time, we can’t afford for you to mess up again. You will keep an eye on the children, but you will not interfere with them. I’ll take it from here.” He said pointedly. 

Tsukumo’s eyes widened. “You’re going after the relics?” He asked. “Well, you obviously don’t have what it takes to get them! If you want something done, you’ll just have to do it yourself, that’s why I’m taking over. Just make sure the house is ready for the ritual and that those kids don’t get ahead of themselves.” Takamasa said. 

Tsukumo had a really bad feeling about where this was going, but he also couldn’t bring himself to stand up against Takamasa. In the end, the quest was so important to him that he had to concede and let him take care of the relics, because surely, that man would be able to get his hands on them, one way or another. 

Riku was currently sat on Iori’s bed, humming along to a song as he was finishing the last of his english homework. He, Iori and Tamaki had been studying together all day, seeing as it was the weekend right now and they needed to finish the last of it before next week, as it was the last week before their break. Although, Tamaki had left Riku and Iori alone about twenty minutes ago, saying he was getting hungry. 

Riku frowned as he thought about it. Lately, Tamaki had started to find excuses to leave the two of them alone for extended periods of time. He would say he needed to do something that shouldn’t take very long, like going to the bathroom, grabbing something to eat or go talk to Tsumugi, and then he wouldn’t return for at least thirty minutes, sometimes more. He would also give Iori this look before he left and when he returned. Were they hiding something from Riku? Iori had also seemed a bit distant for a while now, since Friday afternoon to be more exact. Riku couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened. 

He didn’t get much of an opportunity to dwell on it though, as just a minute later, Iori called out to him. “Nanase-san come look at this! I think I might have found something!” He exclaimed. Riku immediately closed his book and walked over to the desk where Iori was sat. “What is it?” He asked curiously. 

Iori pointed down at his book, which was the one about ancient Egypt, the same one in which they had read the legend about Amneris and the Cup of Ankh. Riku initially frowned. “You’re not studying?” He asked. Iori looked at him in confusion. “What? No, I already finished.” He then stated, seeing as that was what they were supposed to be doing in the first place. 

“Anyway,” Iori started, regaining Riku’s attention. “I was going through the story about how Amneris was given the cup again. I thought maybe there was something in there that we had missed, and I think I might have found it.” He explained, looking really excited as he did. 

“No way… What is it?” Riku asked, smiling in anticipation at Iori. “Look here.” Iori instructed as he pointed at the bottom of the page. “It says here that in order to prevent the cup from being misused, Amneris not only placed it inside of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but she also broke it apart into seven pieces.” Iori explained. 

As he observed the page, Riku soon noticed what Iori must have seen. At the bottom of the page were seven figures, figures of what Riku assumed must be the broken pieces of the cup. “But… those look exactly like our relics…” Riku said in awe. Iori nodded. “Exactly. The relics must be the broken pieces of the Cup of Ankh! That’s why our search ended when we found the final relic, there was nothing else to be found after that, we already have the cup, it’s just in pieces.” He said with a smirk. 

Riku couldn’t help himself, and so he tightly wrapped his arms around Iori’s neck and started laughing. “Iori, this is amazing! You are amazing!” He exclaimed. Iori however, seemed to freeze at that. He stiffened and his eyes widened in shock, he clearly hadn’t been expecting the sudden embrace. 

Just as Iori was about to collect himself and return the hug, the door to the room opened and in came Tamaki. “Oh… Sorry if it’s a bad timing. I can come back later.” He said as he took in the scene before him. Riku, who just then realized what he was doing, quickly pulled away, his face now bright red as he was shaking his head and reaching out for Tamaki instead. “No! It’s not like that, Iori found something! Come on!” He said, sounding a bit flustered. 

Tamaki raised and eyebrow and turned to Iori, who still looked a bit taken aback, but still nodded for Tamaki to join them. “What did you find?” Tamaki asked as he closed the door and joined the two of them over by the desk. Iori proceeded to explain his find to Tamaki, who was just as surprised and delighted as Riku had been. 

“So, all we have to do is put the pieces back together and we’ll have the cup?” Tamaki asked, smiling brightly all the while. Iori nodded. “I think so, but the book doesn’t say anything about how to do that…” He said. 

“We should try it.” Riku said, looking seriously at the other two. “What? To put it back together? Just like that?” Iori asked. Riku nodded. “Yes! We don’t know how much time we have left, so I say we gather the rest of Sibuna and try and put the pieces of the cup back together right now!” He said. 

“Are you sure?” Iori asked, looking a bit skeptic. Riku persisted. “Yes, I want to at least try. Please.” He begged, and Iori couldn’t resist that look he gave him. He sighed. “Fine. Yotsuba-san, do you think you can go and get Rokuya-san and Osaka-san? Make sure they bring their relics.” Iori said. Tamaki nodded eagerly and then left. 

A few minutes later, all of Sibuna were gathered and Iori had, for a third time, explained how he managed to figure out that the relics were actually the broken pieces of the Cup of Ankh. Right now, they were all sat down in a circle on the floor, the relics all laid down in the center, just like when they divided them amongst themselves in the woods. 

“Okay, how do we do this?” Nagi asked. Iori shrugged. “I’m not sure… Maybe it’s like a puzzle and we just have to put all the pieces back in the right order?” He suggested. “But how do we know if we’re right?” Sougo asked. “I guess we’ll just have to try until we get it right.” Iori said. 

The others nodded and then they got started. They tried taking them apart and then attaching them to each other in ways that seemed to make sense. This went on for about a minute before they heard a strange rumbling noise before the ground started violently shaking. “What’s going on?!” Riku cried out. “It’s like when we entered the wrong number combination in that one relic, just stronger!” Tamaki called out. 

“The cup! Take it apart again!” Iori called out and that is what they did, quickly detaching the different pieces. The moment they had done that, the earthquake started calming down. They were all panting as the started to calm down. “Okay, so that was obviously wrong.” Iori stated. 

Riku sighed. “Something’s not right. I don’t think we should just keep trying different ways to put it together. There has to be something else to it.” He said. Iori nodded. “Okay, let’s wait for a bit and do some more research, yeah? Now that we know what the relics really are, we need to be even more careful not to lose them though.” He said. The others all nodded in agreement, and so it was decided that they would have to try and put the cup together some other time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Turns out they already had the cup... Tune in on Saturday for the continuation where they learn more about what they have to do in order to put the cup back together. Also, will Iori actually be able to ask Riku out??? Anyway, thank you for reading, I hope you liked it, and thank you to all of those who has left me kudos and comments! <3<3<3


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori can't stop thinking about asking Riku to the party, and Tenn gives them some new information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! We're really entering the final arc now, and I am really excited, I hope you all are too! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can do so over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

It was Monday morning, which meant that the last week of school before the winter break had just started. Everyone was excited for the break to start, or at least almost everyone was. The members of Sibuna had a lot of other things on their minds, such as how to put together the Cup of Ankh without causing an earthquake, or their caretaker breathing down the necks for the relics they had a feeling he knew they had, for example.

Currently, some of the residents of Anubis House were sat around the dining table, eating their breakfast. Amongst them were both Iori and Riku. Riku was rambling on about his possible theories about how to put the cup back together and Iori was at least a little ashamed to admit that he was not really paying attention to what the redhead was saying. He was a bit busy contemplating other things, such as how to ask Riku to go to the end-of-term party with him. As a date. 

Because throughout the weekend, Tamaki had bugged him time and time again that he needed to ask his redheaded friend out, and that the party was the perfect opportunity for him to do so. It had been obvious to Iori what Tamaki had been doing ever since he got the idea, asking to hang out in various ways, only to leave the two of them alone again and again for extended periods of time. He clearly wanted to get Iori to make a move. Tamaki had even gotten Nagi involved, and now both of them were constantly nagging him about it. 

Only, Iori had never actually asked anyone out before. He had not even been interested enough in anybody else before to want to ask them out on a date. He had no idea what to say, when the right moment would be or how he was supposed to act. Let’s just say that while he considered himself to be incredibly good at a lot of different things, romance was not one of them. 

“Iori?” Iori snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Riku’s familiar voice call out to him. Shit, he must have been spacing out for too long. “Hm? Sorry, what?” He asked. Riku looked a bit concerned as he eyed Iori curiously. “Are you okay? Did you even listen to anything I was just saying?” He asked. 

Iori gave Riku an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to space out on you. I’m fine, I was just thinking about… something. It wasn’t that important.” He said. Riku frowned but nodded. “If you say so… But you know you can talk to me if there is anything that is bothering you, right? I feel like I rely on you all the time, and yet I never really get to return the favor…” He admitted, giving Iori a sheepish smile. 

Iori smiled fondly. “Really, don’t worry about me. And I don’t want you to feel bad, because even if you don’t always realize it, you do a lot for me.” He said. Riku perked up at that, smiling brightly at Iori, which made the raven-haired boy feel a lot of things. “Well, I’m glad then. But are you sure there is nothing you want to tell me?” Riku then asked, persistent as ever. 

Iori was about to dismiss him again, but then he had a thought. Was this a good moment to ask Riku to be his date to the party on Friday? It was what he had been thinking about, which was what Riku wanted to know… Iori gulped as he made his decision. “Uhm… Actually, there is something I would like to ask you.” Iori admitted. 

Riku turned to Iori with a smile, he was now staring at him in anticipation, curious what Iori could want from him. Iori gulped down his nerves and took one last look around the room, making sure that no one else was present. He was in luck, it seems the only people other than he and Riku who had been there had left while he was spacing out. Iori took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves one final, and then he went for it. “Nanase-san, I was wondering if-” 

That was when Riku’s phone started ringing, startling and interrupting Iori. Riku pulled it out to turn it off, only to see that it was Tenn that was calling him. He looked up at Iori apologetically. “I’m sorry, can I take this?” He asked, clearly feeling bad about the interruption, but not bad enough to want to hang up on his brother. 

Iori sighed, forced a smile onto his face and nodded. He barely registered Riku’s greeting to Tenn, he was too busy freaking out internally. He had been so close to asking Riku out, and then he just had to get interrupted. Iori’s heart was pounding hard in his chest from the adrenaline and he could feel drops of cold sweat running down his back. 

“Wait, what?” Iori soon managed to catch Riku saying into the phone. He looked taken aback, which made Iori awfully curious as to what Tenn was telling Riku about. “Wait a minute, Iori is with me right now, is it okay if I put you on speaker so that he can hear this too?” Riku asked, to which Iori only raised an eyebrow in question. “Okay, good.” Riku said into the phone before he removed it from his ear, pressed the speaker and then placed the phone on the table. 

“Is it done?” Tenn asked from the other end of the line. “Yep.” Riku said. “Hello…” Iori greeted awkwardly. Despite having been classmates and having lived in the same house for an entire term, Iori didn’t consider himself to know Tenn very well. “Hi…” Tenn answered, sounding just as awkward as Iori did. 

“Tenn-nii, can you explain what you mentioned to me just now? From the beginning and in more details, please.” Riku said, quickly dispersing the awkward atmosphere. “Sure.” Tenn answered. Iori perked up and decided to listen closely to what Tenn had to say, whatever it was, it was important enough that Riku wanted Iori to hear it too. 

“So, I overheard Takamasa talking on the phone this morning, I’m guessing he was talking to someone who is related to that treasure you guys are looking for. He mentioned the Cup of Ankh? That’s what you said you were looking for, right?” He asked. Iori’s eyes widened as he looked over at Riku, who seemed to remain calm for now as he answered Tenn. “That’s right, I told you about that briefly.” He said. 

“Right.” Tenn answered. “Well, he said, and I quote, the god Anubis conceded to Amneris that on a certain hour, on a certain day, just once every 25 years, that a specific descendant of the bloodline of Amneris would be able to restore the cup to its former strength and glory.” He then added. 

Both Riku and Iori were now staring at each other, eyes wide with wonder. “That must mean that the relics can only be put back together to form the cup at that specific time, by that specific person! That’s what went wrong when we tried to do it last time!” Riku exclaimed. 

“And that must be the time limit everyone was talking about. If we didn’t find all the pieces in time, we would have to wait for another 25 years before we could try and restore it again!” Iori added. Riku nodded before turning back to the phone. “Tenn-nii, did he say something more?” Riku asked. 

“Well, other than being from the bloodline of Amneris, the person who restores the cup had to have been born at a specific day, at a specific time. In other words, it’s all very specific.” He said. “So, it has to be done by someone special… Someone chosen?” Riku asked, after which a heavy silence followed. 

“Is that what Takamasa wants me to do? He thinks I’m the one who can put the cup back together?” Tenn asked after a while. “That has to be the case! I’ve heard them call you ‘the chosen one’ a lot of times, it has to mean that you’re the one who is meant to do it.” Riku said. 

“Did you hear anything else?” Iori asked after a while, when Tenn had been silent for a few seconds. “Like, did he mention anything else about the day and time when it can be put back together?” Iori soon added. 

It was quiet for another few seconds, but then Tenn answered. “He did. The chosen moment is this Friday, at 10 o’clock in the evening.” Iori and Riku looked at each other in shock. “That’s during our end-of-term party.” Iori said. “That means there’s not even a week left…” Riku added. 

This was both good and bad news. They now knew everything they needed to know, which was great, but they had so little time to prepare and make arrangements. “Kujou-san, do you think there’s a possibility you could escape Kujou Takamasa and meet up with us instead? They can’t get their hands on the cup, but we need it.” Iori asked. 

“It will be difficult, but I can try.” Tenn said. “Tenn-nii, we really need you to do this. Please.” Riku begged. “Fine.” Tenn answered from the other end of the line. “I’ll do everything I can to get away. When and where do I meet you?” He asked. 

“How about the clearing in the woods? At 9:30?” Riku suggested and Iori nodded in approval. “Okay, I’ll do my best to be there.” Tenn said, much to both Iori and Riku’s relief. “Okay, we should go now, but we’ll keep in touch throughout the week with more details about how we’re going to do this.” Iori then said. “Right, bye then.” Tenn answered before hanging up. Iori and Riku looked at each other, all thoughts about asking Riku out to the party gone from Iori’s head as thoughts of their plan to restore the cup took over. 

The week progressed rather calmly after that, Tsukumo seemed to be laying low and things were going surprisingly smooth on Tenn’s side, he had managed to come up with a plan for how to get away from Kujou Takamasa in time for their meeting. And now, the day had finally come. It was Friday morning, aka, the morning of the end-of-term party and the day they would put the Cup of Ankh back together. 

But before that, they had school. Their final lesson of the day would be just before lunch, so then they would go back to the house, eat, and then start to get ready for the evening. So far, it seemed as if the only ones awake were Iori and Riku, neither had been able to get much sleep that night. Riku felt too much anticipation for what they were about to do that night, while Iori had something completely different on his mind. 

Whenever they were working on the scheme for tonight, Iori was fine, he could completely concentrate on that and forget everything else. However, the moment he got some time for himself, to actually think by himself, his mind drifted off to the aspect of asking Riku to go to the party with him. 

Now, Iori was very well aware of the fact that he was running out of time, and throughout the week, he had on multiple occasions come really close to asking again. However, every time he had either chickened out or gotten interrupted by someone. 

But seeing as it was just the two of them right now, maybe he could try and get the question out before the others joined them. He knew they had more important things to worry about that night, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. He really badly wanted to try and do this with Riku. 

And so, Iori put down the cup of coffee that he had been drinking on the table and turned to face Riku. The redhead seemed to notice his look almost immediately, and so he followed suit and looked back at Iori. “Nanase-san, I have something I want to ask you.” Iori said, trying really hard not to look away or start to stutter in nervousness. 

Riku smiled kindly and nodded. “Go ahead, I’m listening.” He said. Iori nodded and took a deep breath. “So, I know this may be a bit sudden, and that there is a lot going on tonight, but I wanted to ask you if maybe you would like to-” Iori started, but then, just like every other time, something happened to stop him from finishing. It seemed as if the universe didn’t want this date to happen. 

“Good mornin’.” Tamaki said mid-yawn as he sleepily entered the dining room, which was what had interrupted Iori. 

Iori, who was now getting really annoyed by the fact that he kept getting interrupted, proceeded slap his hand down on the table, creating a loud sound that startled both Riku and Tamaki. 

“Sorry.” Iori said before clearing his throat and glaring at Tamaki. “Yotsuba-san, if you wouldn’t mind, could you perhaps give us some privacy?” He asked, staring Tamaki down all the while. Tamaki however, seemed really confused, even though he was the one who had suggested that Iori do this in the first place. 

Iori sighed. “I’m trying to ask Nanase-san something, so I would really appreciate it if you could come back again in just a minute.” He said, smiling coldly at his friend. And that was when realization hit Tamaki. “Oh…” He said as he looked between an annoyed Iori and a confused Riku. “Got it.” Tamaki then said before he smiled apologetically and walked back out into the hallway. 

Riku chuckled and looked over at Iori. “Was that really necessary? I wouldn’t have minded if he stayed.” He said. Iori shook his head. “Believe me, it’s better if he waits outside.” He said. “Where was I?” Iori then asked. 

Riku smiled in amusement. “You apologized if this was sudden, said that there was already a lot going on tonight and then asked if I would like to… and then you were interrupted.” He explained. “Right, right…” Iori said, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves yet again. 

“Okay, I’m just going to ask this quickly before I get interrupted again.” Iori declared before meeting Riku’s still confused gaze. “Nanase-san, do you want to go to the party with me?” Iori asked, glad that the question was finally out there. 

However, Riku didn’t seem to quite get it, as he just frowned in confusion. “I thought we were all going to the party together already?” He asked. Iori sighed, he could feel his face heating up at the thought of explaining what he meant. Still, he had come this far, he couldn’t back out now. 

“I meant…” Iori started. “Do you want to go to the party together, as a date?” He then asked, sounding more and more embarrassed and insecure as he went on. Iori knew that he was for sure blushing by now and he could no longer bring himself to meet Riku’s eyes, so he averted his gaze. 

Riku blinked up at Iori as his request finally sunk in. A date. Iori had just asked Riku on a date. _'Does that mean he likes me?'_ Riku thought. He could see that Iori was flustered, and he could feel himself getting closer and closer to that stage himself. Never in his wildest dreams had Riku imagined that Iori would ask him out to the party as a date. It made him unbelievably happy. 

“Yes.” Riku answered, then cringed at how his voice cracked as he answered. As Iori looked back up at Riku, the redhead cleared his throat to avoid a repeat of the same embarrassingly cracked voice. “Yes, I would love to go to the party as your date.” Riku clarified, a small, shy smile now splayed on his lips as he met Iori’s surprised gaze. 

The two boys smiled shyly at each other now that they had decided to make tonight’s party into their first date. They both simultaneously reached out to try and link their fingers together, using the hands that they both had rested on top of the table. 

However, that was when Tamaki decided that it was time to return. “Adorable. Now, I am absolutely starving!” He exclaimed as he sat down at the table and started digging into breakfast. 

Riku and Iori pulled their hands away, feeling self-conscious now that they weren’t alone anymore. Tamaki still gave them a knowing look, he must have been listening in on their conversation because multiple times throughout breakfast, Iori caught Tamaki giving him a smirk that said ‘I told you so’. It was a bit annoying, but ultimately, Iori was really happy that he had listened to Tamaki. Now he had another reason to be excited for that night. 

The day passed by in a blur, and before they knew it, everyone had gone off to get ready for the party that night. Most people were already finished and had thus taken to standing around waiting in the entranceway of the house. Iori, who had just gotten there with Tamaki in tow, was clearly nervous, fidgeting and pacing around the hallway while waiting for Riku to come down. The moment he had gotten a chance, Nagi had dragged the redhead off to get ready and they still weren’t done, after all. 

Iori was looking around the room, trying to find something to distract himself with and occasionally he would meet Tamaki’s knowing gaze and just rolled his eyes at his friend, as if he wasn’t freaking out internally. Really, he was surprised that only Tamaki seemed to have noticed how nervous he was. 

“Iori? Are you feeling okay?” Just then, Mitsuki called out to him, making Iori twirl around to face his brother. And Tamaki was no longer the only one aware of his nerves. “I’m fine.” Iori tried to pass it off as nothing, but he could tell his brother wasn’t convinced at all. 

“You’re pacing and fidgeting and chewing on your lip. You’re clearly nervous, but why? You know you can always come to me if something is bothering you, right?” Mitsuki asked in concern. Iori smiled and nodded, glad to have his brother there, even though he felt like it wasn’t necessary to confide in him right now. 

As it turns out, he didn’t get much of a choice. “Oh, Mikki! You don’t need to worry about him, he’s just nervous about his date is all.” Tamaki said with a big grin spread across his face. Iori’s face flushed a bright shade of red at that as he looked at his friend in betrayal. Mitsuki, and the rest of the residents, save for Sougo who already knew all about it, all turned and looked at Iori in surprise. 

“A date? You have a date?” Mitsuki asked, sounding a bit surprised, very happy, but also a little hurt that he hadn’t been aware of this. Iori nodded shyly and tried to avert his gaze. “Yeah, he does! With Rikkun!” Tamaki answered for Iori. 

Now Mitsuki was grinning just as much as Tamaki and Iori kind of just wanted to go back to his room in order to avoid everyone. “Why didn’t you say anything?! Iori, that’s amazing! Congratulations! I can’t believe it, it’s your first date and I didn’t even know anything!” Mitsuki exclaimed. 

“I just didn’t want you making a huge deal out of it! Which you are, by the way…” Iori said, looking a bit uncomfortable with all the attention on him right now. Mitsuki was still grinning, but he did at least look a tiny bit apologetic. “Sorry, I’m just happy for you.” He said. Iori did give his brother a small smile at that and nodded, showing that he appreciated that. 

Mitsuki was about to ask something else, but he didn’t get a chance to, as Nagi and Riku arrived, now making their way down the stairs. Iori looked up and then his eyes met Riku’s, and it was as if everything else just disappeared. At least until Yamato wolf whistled, thus effectively shattering the mood. 

Iori could feel his face getting hotter and he could see a blush forming on Riku’s mortified face. He must have also gotten aware of the fact that they were all staring at them knowingly. Luckily, Nagi came to their rescue. “Okay guys, I know we don’t have to leave the house just yet, but let’s give these two some privacy and head to the school a bit early, yeah?” He suggested. 

Nagi then herded all of the Anubis residents, save for Iori and Riku, out of the front door, giving the two of them a wink as he left. Now that they were left alone, Riku decided to close most of the distance between them and walked over so that he was now standing right in front of Iori. 

“Hi.” Riku said, a shy smile on his lips. “Hey.” Iori replied awkwardly. Things got a bit quiet then, none of the boys really sure how to progress from there. “Right, so how does this work?” Riku asked when he had had enough of the silence. “You’re asking me? I have no idea what I’m doing.” Iori admitted. 

Riku chuckled. “Then I guess I’m not alone in having absolutely no experience in this sort of stuff?” He asked. Iori shook his head. “You most definitely are not.” He said. “That’s a relief.” Riku admitted and Iori nodded. 

“You know,” Riku started. “How about we just go to the party and hang out like usual? It’s still a date, but we don’t have to force ourselves to do all these new things. Let’s just take it slow and have fun, yeah?” He suggested. Iori let out a sigh of relief at that. “That sounds perfect, actually.” He said. 

Riku smiled and held out his hand. “Shall we?” He then asked. Iori nodded and took Riku’s hand in his. The two smiled shyly at each other and were just about to leave when Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo came bursting back in through the front door. “Wow, what are you guys doing?” Riku asked, taken aback by their sudden entrance. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Nagi started. “But this was on the front porch.” He said, holding out a plain white envelope. “It’s addressed to you, Riku-kun.” Sougo said. Riku frowned and let go of Iori’s hand so that he could look closer at the envelope. He opened it when he couldn’t find a sender. What he saw next shocked him even more. “It’s mirrored writing” He said and showed it to Iori, who frowned at the sight of it. 

“Mirrored writing?” Tamaki asked. “Isn’t that what Tenten used when he sent you that message asking to meet up during the play we did earlier this term?” He then added. Riku nodded, a suspicious frown on his face. “Do you guys think it is from him?” He asked. 

“But why would he contact us like that now that we’ve exchanged numbers?” Iori asked. “Maybe something happened and he can’t use his phone?” Nagi suggested. “Maybe we should see what the message says before we make any assumptions?” Sougo then said. 

Riku nodded in agreement and held it up in front of the nearest mirror. “Change of plans. Meet me in the history classroom at the third floor of the school at 9.” Riku read the message out loud. “He wants to change the meeting time and place?” Iori asked and Riku nodded. 

“What are we going to do?” Tamaki asked. Riku thought over their options for a while, then seemed to come up with a plan. “Iori, do you have the bag with all of the relics?” He asked. Iori nodded. “Of course, it’s right here.” He said, holding out a beige duffel bag. Riku nodded and turned to Nagi. “And did you take care of the other bag?” He asked. Nagi nodded and gave him a thumbs up. 

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Let’s go to the clearing in the woods right now and prepare everything, just as planned. Then we’ll go to the school, and at 9 we’ll go to the supply closet. We’ll figure out when we get there whether this message is really from Tenn-nii or not. If it is, we’ll still have plenty of time to get to the clearing and bring what we prepared there, if it isn’t, at least Tenn-nii will still have access to what we’ve left in the clearing.” Riku said. 

The other four nodded. “It’s not ideal, but we knew we might have to make some changes as we go along with our plans tonight.” Nagi commented. “Are we ready to do this?” Riku then asked, looking first at Nagi, then Tamaki, then Sougo, and finally Iori. They all nodded and Riku smirked. “Sibuna!” He exclaimed and they all followed suit. It was time for it all to go down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Only two chapters left, the next one which will be posted on Monday, so look forward to that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time to meet up with Tenn quickly approaches, but will everything go according to plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter, here we go! Wah, I'm so excited for this and the next chapter, and I really hope all of you guys are too! Anyway, please enjoy this update! If you have any questions or want to talk to me, you can reach me over on Twitter: @EFagerhag

The end-of term party had started off more like a banquet, but then again, Riku wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting. Still, the food tasted good and he was really enjoying himself. Things weren’t nearly as awkward with Iori as they had been earlier. The two of them had been sat at the end of their table, talking for the majority of the evening. Although, Riku hadn’t quite been able to tear his thoughts away from Tenn and the cup, and he doubted Iori could either.

Everyone soon finished eating and then the party was moved to the student lounge, which had been decorated by the staff. Now this part was looking more like an actual party, with colorful lights, glitter and music. However, it was getting close to nine, so Sibuna had to leave before it really got started. 

Sneaking away had been easier than they had anticipated, as attendance after the dinner wasn’t mandatory. They all slipped out quietly and their departure seemed to go unnoticed by most. Now the five of them were alone in the hallway, with only three minutes remaining until the clock hit nine. 

“He said the history classroom on the third floor, right?” Sougo tried to confirm as they walked through the almost completely empty hallways of their school. Riku nodded. “Yeah, it’s the one close to the chemistry lab, right?” He asked, earning a nod from Nagi in return. 

“Why do you think he wanted to change the meeting place and time?” Tamaki asked in confusion. Riku shook his head. “I don’t know. I tried texting him, but…” Riku trailed off. “He still hasn’t replied to your texts?” Iori finished and Riku only nodded, his expression looking both worried and confused. “I just hope he’s okay.” He said. 

“Well, we’re about to find out.” Iori commented as they walked up the stairs to the third floor. The history classroom was now in sight. Riku took a deep breath before he opened the door and stepped into the classroom, the other four following close behind. Riku looked around but frowned when he found the room empty. “He’s not here?” He stated, though it sounded more like a question. 

“Maybe we’re early?” Tamaki suggested, but Sougo shook his head in response. “No, in fact, we’re a minute late. It’s 9:01 now.” He said. They all looked at each other, no one really sure what they were supposed to do but to wait. “Well, I say we wait here until 9:20, if he’s still not here by then, we’ll go to the clearing in the woods like we had originally planned.” Iori suggested and the others all agreed that that would be the best solution. 

They waited, but luckily, they didn’t have to do so for very long. A little over five minutes later, the door to the classroom opened. Riku perked up, thinking he would finally get to see Tenn again, but his expression turned sour the moment he saw just who had walked through the door. “Kujou Takamasa…” Riku said. 

Everyone tensed up as Kujou closed the door and smirked at them. “Why hello there. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Riku? Just over five years if I’m not mistaken.” He said. Riku gulped and tried not to look too shaken by this turn of events. Of course, that message hadn’t been from Tenn, they had said they would discuss all changes to their plans over the phone, Riku should have understood that it hadn’t been his brother’s doing. 

“What do you want?” Riku asked coldly. Kujou chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Oh please, we both know what this is about, so let’s stop with the theatrics. This is about the Cup of Ankh. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you be the ones to assemble it tonight, even if Tenn intends to help you out.” Kujou said. 

Riku’s eyes widened and he was willing to bet the others were shocked too. “You knew about our plans…” Iori stated. “How do you know them?” He then added. “It wasn’t that difficult.” Kujou answered with a smirk. “Tenn should really be more careful about where he keeps his secret phone stashed away.” He then added as an explanation. 

Riku started to feel really nervous at that, just how much of their plan had Kujou seen? Hopefully he hadn’t seen the last few texts that Riku had sent to Tenn throughout the afternoon, as they were about a few changes to the plan that Nagi and Iori had thought of last minute as a precaution. 

“And? Did you just call us out to tell us not to do it?” Riku asked, sounding a lot more confident in himself than what he actually felt at the moment. Kujou scoffed. “Of course not. You have something that I want.” He stated before he pointed to Iori. Or rather, the beige duffel bag that Iori was carrying. Riku’s eyes widened. “The relics. Hand them over, now.” Kujou said. 

Iori took a step back. “No.” He said. _'Good'_. Riku thought, that meant that Kujou hadn’t seen the last few messages about the change of plans. 

At the other end of the room, Kujou sighed. “You’re just making it more difficult for yourselves. If you give me the relics now, I can go and have Tenn put the cup together, and then it’ll all be over for you. Riku, you’ll get your brother back and we’ll forget this incident ever happened, yeah?” He said. 

Riku shook his head, he wouldn’t give in to Kujou. “No matter what you say, I’m not giving them to you. I promised to protect the cup from people like you.” He said determinedly. “You sound just like Sara.” Kujou stated, sounding disgusted. “She never wanted to use the powers of the cup either. She was a coward.” 

Riku flinched at the mention of his friend, but he wouldn’t argue with Kujou now, he didn’t want to show the older man that he was getting to him. “Well,” Kujou started. “If you’re not going to give them to me, I’ll just have to take them myself.” He said, before walking over, glaring at all of them while doing so. 

Kujou ripped the duffel bag out of Iori’s grip, and Iori backed off in order to get away from him. Riku hurried over and placed a hand on Iori’s arm, looking up at him in concern. Iori forced a smile on his face and nodded, telling Riku that he was okay. Riku nodded back, he could tell that Iori wasn’t hurt at least. 

“See? Was that so hard?” Kujou said from the other end of the room, where he had once more positioned himself by the door as he opened the duffel bag, most likely wanting to check that all of the relics were in there. “What is this?” He soon asked, sounding irritated. Riku smirked, knowing that their plan had managed to throw Kujou off. 

Over by the door, Kujou was digging water bottle after water bottle out of the duffel bag, but there were no relics in sight. “Where are the relics?!” He roared angrily as he threw the bag on the ground. “Do you really think we’d be stupid enough to carry them with us on a day like this? Knowing that you, Tsukumo and our teachers were all after them?” Nagi asked, a smirk of his own now splayed on his face. 

Kujou looked furious. “Where have you put the relics?” He asked, speaking slowly and angrily. No one answered him, and Kujou was just about to ask again when the sound of someone’s phone went off. Riku closed his eyes and cursed internally at the sound. He recognized the ringtone as the one he had picked specifically for when Tenn was calling. 

Kujou narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he walked up to Riku, having realized that the sound was coming from him. Iori promptly put himself in between Riku and Kujou, but the older man just pushed him out of the way and into one of the nearby desks. 

Riku wanted to check on Iori, but he was overcome by fear as Kujou reached out and grabbed his arm. “Let go!” Riku exclaimed. Kujou however, only held him in place as he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his phone, smirking when he saw that it was Tenn. Riku paled at the sight of that smirk. 

The phone call ended and went straight to voicemail, and soon, Tenn’s voice could be heard from the device. “Riku? I’m in the clearing in the woods and I found the relics you left me. Where are you? Call me back.” And the message ended. 

“The clearing in the woods, eh? That’s behind the house, right?” Kujou asked, the smirk from before was right back on his face. Riku gulped, he didn’t answer, but he could see on the older man’s face that he didn’t need to, he already knew the answer. 

“Well, I guess that means that my business with you people are finished. Now, I just need you to quietly stay out of my way while I go and get what I’ve been working for since forever.” Kujou said as he finally let go of Riku and took a step back, though he had seemingly decided to keep Riku’s phone for himself. The redhead released a breath he had been holding and had to lean onto the desk behind him not to sink down onto the floor. 

“Goodbye.” Kujou said as he exited the classroom. It was only when they heard the click that the five members of Sibuna realized what had happened and rushed over to the door. “No, no, no…” Iori said as he tried to yank the door open. “That bastard locked us in!” Tamaki exclaimed. They all stared at each other, all their faces had the same expression, the one that practically screamed ‘we are so screwed’. 

Once he had recorded the message, Tenn sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. Escaping from Takamasa had been a lot easier than Tenn had anticipated, seeing as his guardian had left him alone, saying had a small errand to run. And so, when Tenn got to the clearing in the woods, he wasn’t that surprised to see that Riku and the others hadn’t arrived yet. 

While waiting, he had decided to go and find the bag with the relics that Riku had hidden in the bushes earlier that day. It was where Riku had texted him saying it would be, which was a relief. Tenn had opened the bag and checked to make sure it was all in there, which it was. 

It was only once the clock reached 9:30 that he had called Riku to check where he was, and then recorded the message when there was no answer. Tenn sighed, he was getting really antsy waiting alone in the forest. He knew Kujou would have to be back for him sooner or later, and he could surely figure out where he went the moment he noticed he was missing. 

Tenn decided to check the time again, it read 9:37. Tenn decided to try and call Riku again, hoping he would notice it this time around. Again, he only reached his voicemail. Tenn recorded another, slightly more worry-laced message to Riku, then sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. 

That was when he heard something, it sounded like a twig snapping in half. Tenn’s eyes widened and he turned his head around as quickly as he could. At first, he was relieved that it wasn’t Takamasa, but that feeling turned to dread when he realized that the people who were there worked with his so-called father. 

Standing in front of him in the woods were Tsukumo Ryou, the caretaker of Anubis House, Yaotome Sousuke, the headmaster of the school, and two of his former teachers, Anesagi and Shimaoka. “Hello there, Tenn.” Tsukumo said as he took a step forward and grabbed ahold of the duffel bag. Tenn reached for it to take it back, but the only thing he managed to accomplish with that was that he got himself grabbed by Sousuke instead. 

“Let me go!” Tenn yelled, but the headmaster only tightened his grip. “Oh, stop fighting against it already! Once you do this for us, I thought you’d be free to do whatever you wanted. Wasn’t that the deal you made with your dad? Wouldn’t you just want to get it over with then?” Tsukumo asked, but Tenn only glared at him in reply. 

Tsukumo sighed and instead focused his attention on the bag. He opened it and it was as if he had seen the most beautiful thing ever. Tsukumo pulled out one of the relics and held it up for all to see, and the others appeared to be just as awed as he had been. Tsukumo then put it back in the bag and closed it. 

“It’s all in there. Let’s hurry back to the house and finish the last of the preparations while we wait for Takamasa to come back from the school.” Tsukumo said. The others nodded and then Sousuke started dragging Tenn with him towards the house. The older man was surprisingly strong, and Tenn found that he couldn’t break free. 

“The school? Why is he at the school?” Tenn asked in concern. _'That is where Riku is supposed to be…'_ He thought. “Oh, he was just making sure that those other brats aren’t getting in our way tonight.” Tsukumo explained. 

Tenn was starting to panic, if Takamasa had done something to Riku, he would… He actually didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t really imagine himself going up against someone like Kujou Takamasa. But he would do it for Riku. But right now, the only thing he could do was go through with what Takamasa wanted so that he could quickly go and find Riku. He just hoped that his brother was okay. 

“It’s no use! It’s not budging!” Tamaki exclaimed as he rubbed his now sore shoulder. “I told you, now stop before you seriously hurt yourself.” Iori reprimanded. Tamaki, who had been lunging himself at the door for a while now in order to get it opened, only pouted in response. 

“Since we’re on the third floor, it’s too high to jump from the windows, and those are the only things in here that open.” Nagi observed, looking out at the schoolyard beneath them with a shudder at the thought of jumping from where they were. 

“And none of you have your phones to call for help?” Riku then asked. Tamaki shook his head. “Mine is in my jacket, which is still in my locker.” He said. “Same here.” Sougo said. “I have mine, but the battery is dead.” Nagi said while shaking his head. “Mine was inside that duffel bag that Kujou Takamasa took, but since he threw it on the floor, it must have broken. It won’t start at least.” Iori explained with a sigh. 

Riku put his forehead down on the desk he had sat himself down at and groaned in frustration. “What are we going to do? We’re running out of time.” He said. “Speaking of time, what’s it now?” Sougo asked. “9:59.” Iori answered while pointing at the clock that hung above the locked door. 

Tamaki reacted at that, frantically looking at the others with concern. “Isn’t that bad? The time to put the cup together was at ten, right? That’s in one minute! Even if we could get out, there’s no way for us to make it in time!” He exclaimed. Iori, however, didn’t look very concerned as he shook his head. “It’s not over until the hour itself is over, meaning the cup can be assembled until 11 o’clock tonight. However, it’s possible they’re starting to put it together now, in which case we will be too late.” He explained. 

Riku, out of desperation, walked over to the door and started banging on it. “Hello! Is anybody out there?! Help us! We’re stuck!” He started yelling. “It’s no use, we’re on the third floor! Everyone’s at the party, which is on the first floor. They’ll never hear us from there.” Iori said. 

Riku turned and glared at him. “Maybe someone walked off! Maybe someone will be able to hear us! And honestly, I don’t think we have much of a choice. We can’t just let them get the cup!” He exclaimed before he started yelling and banging again. 

And, much to Iori’s surprise, it appears someone was able to hear him, and not just anyone either. “Riku? Is that you?” Could be heard, if a bit muffled, from the other side of the door. “Mitsuki?” Riku exclaimed, a relieved smile suddenly replaced his earlier scowl. 

Iori, once he heard his brother’s familiar voice, rushed over to the door and joined Riku. “Nii-san, you have to help us!” He called out. “Iori? What’s going on? Are you okay?” Mitsuki asked from the other side of the door. “Yes, but the door is locked, and we can’t get out! Please, go find a key or something!” Iori responded. 

“Okay, just hang in there, okay?” Mitsuki yelled back. “Right!” Iori returned. “And Nii-san, please hurry!” He then added. “Got it!” Mitsuki exclaimed, and then they could hear him running off. 

Riku sighed in relief and turned to smile at Iori, the first honest smile since they left the party. “I told you.” He said, sounding smug. Iori smiled back, glad that he had been wrong, and even more glad to see that smile back on Riku’s face, even though it was sure to go away soon again, with what they had to do next. “Let’s just hope that Mitsuki returns with the key as soon as possible. The moment we are out of here, we need to get back to the house.” Nagi said. Iori and Riku turned serious and nodded in agreement. “I just hope we’ll be able to make it there in time. They could have already put the cup back together!” Riku said. 

A few nervous and agonizingly slow minutes later, they could once again hear footsteps outside, though this time it sounded like two pairs of feet. “Nii-san? Is that you?” Iori asked in anticipation. “Yeah, I got the key!” Mitsuki yelled back. “And some company!” Someone else called out. “Yama-san!” Tamaki exclaimed, and sure enough, the voice definitely belonged to Yamato. 

Withing seconds, the door was unlocked and opened. “So, that’s where you all were! Mitsu noticed that none of you were at the party, but how the hell did you five manage to get yourselves locked up in the history classroom?” Yamato asked, an amused grin on his face. 

However, the members of Sibuna didn’t have time to stand around and chat, so they all unceremoniously pushed their way past their two housemates and started running. “Sorry, no time to explain! Thank you so much for getting us out!” Riku yelled at the two of them. Mitsuki and Yamato looked confused, but there really wasn’t any time to stand around and explain. Riku could only pray that they wouldn’t be too late. 

Tenn was feeling more and more anxious by the second. He had just been forced to dress up in some weird, white robes, having been told they were ceremonial and would make the assembling of the cup much easier. He was now stood in the cellar of the House of Anubis, a room in the house he had never been in before, and if he was being honest, he could have done without seeing it in person. 

Tenn looked around at all the ceremonial ornaments around him, things that had most certainly been prepared only for this specific occasion. Takamasa had arrived at the house just a few minutes ago, Tenn had tried to question him about Riku, but the older man had only glared at him while refusing to answer. 

Other than Takamasa, two other people had also joined them, although Tenn didn’t recognize either of them. This meant that, excluding Tenn, there were seven people in the cellar. The atmosphere was tense, and Tenn could tell that this thing was about to start any minute now. The relics were all lined up on the table before him, along with seven scales that Tsukumo was currently placing some sort of weights on. 

Tenn squinted his eyes to try and see these weight better. They looked like coins, but they had words written on them. On closer inspection, Tenn realized that they weren’t words, they were names. His own name was there, along with six others belonging to the students from Anubis House, Riku, Iori, Tamaki, Sougo, Nagi and Gaku. These seven weights were all placed closest to Tenn’s side of the table. 

On the other side, Tsukumo had placed seven other coins that looked almost identical, only the name on top was different. One read Ryou, one Takamasa, another one read Sousuke, and then he saw the names of his teachers and what he assumed was the names of the two newcomers. Tenn had no idea what these meant, but he had a bad feeling about it. 

“I think it’s about time to start.” Tenn heard the dreaded words coming from Takamasa’s mouth and took a big gulp. “All the preparations are finished, I presume?” Tenn’s guardian asked and turned to Tsukumo for answers. The caretaker nodded. “Of course.” He answered. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” Takamasa asked. 

Tenn looked around as the seven grown-ups, all wearing matching gowns that looked just like Tenn’s own, but in a light brown color instead, started to come closer, to close in on Tenn and the relics. Tsukumo, who was standing on the opposite side of the table and in the center of everyone, cleared his throat before he started speaking. 

Tsukumo was saying something about the Gods of Egypt, the value of this treasure, the gift of eternal life. It all sounded very cult-like and Tenn started to zone out, trying to forget this bizarre scene before him. However, he was soon pulled back in as he sensed that Tsukumo was getting close to the end of his speech. 

“And so, the seven followers of Ankh shall sip the elixir of life from the chalice. The scales of life shall be tipped, and strength and life shall flow into them from seven young acolytes, and thus death is conquered.” Tsukumo said while gesturing to the scales with the weird weights on them, making Tenn frown. _'What does that mean? It sounds so ominous…'_ He thought. 

“Step forward Chosen One.” Tsukumo then beckoned, motioning for Tenn to step up to the table with the relics and the scales. Tenn, who was still a bit caught up in his previous thought, couldn’t help but ask. “What was that about the seven acolytes?” 

Tsukumo frowned but answered him nonetheless. “They are merely represented by these coins here. It’s just a figure of speech, the symbolic flow of lifeforce from one person to another.” He explained, but that explanation did nothing to appease Tenn’s nerves. _'So, the acolytes are the people whose names are written on the coins? What exactly does it all mean?'_ He thought to himself. 

He didn’t get much time to think about it though, as Takamasa cleared his throat, obviously wanting Tenn to get on with it. Tenn glared at his foster father, he didn’t want to do this, especially not since Riku had been so adamant that Takamasa could not get his hands on this cup. But Tenn’s worry for Riku, who was still missing, triumphed his unwillingness to go through with this thing. And so, he had no choice but to see it done. 

Tenn turned his attention to the relics that lay on the table in front of him. He picked the up, one by one and started to try and put them together in a way that looked logical to him. All the while, he was saying an incantation that he had been told to say beforehand. “With this circle of light, I seal the circle of life.” 

Tenn kept trying for a few minutes, repeating the incantation every once in a while, for good measure. However, no matter how many different combinations he tried, he just couldn’t seem to get it right. He sighed and looked up at Takamasa with a deadpan expression. “I can’t do it.” He said. 

The older man frowned. “Try harder then.” Was all he said. Tenn frowned. “Didn’t you hear me? I can’t do it! I have no idea what I’m doing, it doesn’t make sense! I can’t figure out which piece goes where, and even when it seems right, the pieces don’t want to stick together! I don’t know what more you want me to do, but maybe you should just face the facts and realize that you were wrong! Maybe the fact that I can’t do it means I’m not the Chosen One!” Tenn yelled. 

Everything was silent, all of them shocked at Tenn’s exclamation. “The boy may be right…” Sousuke soon spoke, breaking the heavy silence. “He’s been going at it for multiple minutes! If he truly was the Chosen One, wouldn’t he have done it by now? This doesn’t feel right.” He said. 

Tenn nodded in agreement, this was the first, and Tenn suspected, also the last time he agreed with Gaku’s father completely. “He’s right.” Tsukumo then added, sounding more upset than angry and annoyed like the others. “The boy is clearly not the Chosen One.” He added. 

That was the moment when Takamasa seemingly snapped. He let out a gut-wrenching scream that made Tenn flinch, it was so loud and filled with anger. “NO! This isn’t possible!” He yelled before he turned to Tenn and raised his hand. 

Tenn closed his eyes, waiting for an impact that never came. He opened his eyes and saw that Anesagi had ahold of Takamasa’s wrist while both Sousuke and Shimaoka had grabbed his waist and were currently trying to pull him back. “Don’t take this out on the boy! He didn’t decide whether to be the Chosen One or not!” Anesagi called out. 

Takamasa let out another scream before he forcefully pushed Anesagi, Sousuke and Shimaoka off him. Then, he angrily stormed up the stairs and out of the cellar. They all let out a collective sigh of relief once he was gone, but Tenn only stared after his foster father in shock. 

“What do we do now?” Anesagi asked. “Tsukumo?” Sousuke added, turning to Tsukumo, who had been the one, apart from Takamasa, who had the most knowledge about all of this. Tsukumo looked at them then, and Tenn’s eyes widened in shock as he saw something he never thought he would see. Tsukumo Ryou was crying. 

“There’s nothing to do. It’s over.” Tsukumo said sadly. “Kujou Tenn is obviously not the Chosen One, and there’s no way we’ll find the actual Chosen One before the hour is over. We would have to wait another 25 years for the next chance, but the little elixir I have left won’t even last me one year, and I still have no idea how to make more.” He explained. 

“That’s…” Sousuke started, not sure exactly what to say. He didn’t really get a chance to continue though, as Tsukumo’s expression warped into one of anger and he yelled at them. “Leave! Leave me alone! This is my house, and I demand that you all leave it this instant!” 

The headmaster nodded sourly, then took off his robe and promptly walked back upstairs, the teachers and the two other people following close behind. Soon, the only people left in the cellar were Tsukumo and Tenn. The caretaker glared up at the former student. “I thought I told everyone to leave.” He said. 

Tenn didn’t say anything, he only nodded, took off his robe and left the cellar. He then sat down in the armchair that was stood in the entranceway of Anubis House, overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. At some point, Tsukumo had left the cellar, but he didn’t seem to take notice of Tenn’s presence. 

That was when Tenn seemed to recall something important. _'I have to go and check on Riku!'_ And so, he promptly stood up and decided to leave the house in search of his brother. He just hoped everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Tenn was not the Chosen One after all... How will it all end? Come back on Wednesday to find out, because that's when I will be posting the FINAL chapter of this fanfic! I'm so excited! Anyway, thank you so much for reading. Also, thank you for leaving kudos and comments! <3


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibuna quickly makes it back to the house and discover what happened there, but where will they go from there? What discoveries will they make? And is it too early to relax?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, here we are, 180k words later and we're finally at the end! The final chapter! I really hope you guys will enjoy this like you have with the rest of this story! Also, side note, for plot purposes I had to change Riku and Tenn's birthday from 9th of July to the 7th of July, just so that you are aware that I've made that change in this story! With that said, please get onto the final chapter. There'll be a slightly longer note with some information about a continuation and the like, so check that out once you are done. If you have any questions or want to talk to me, here's my Twitter: @EFagerhag

Riku wasn’t usually one for running, what with his condition and all, but at that moment, he ran as if his life depended on it. He and the rest of Sibuna had hurried over from the school once they got out of the history classroom, and now they could finally see the house. They just prayed that they wouldn’t be too late.

Riku, who was the first one there, threw open the door and quickly made his way inside, only to run into something and get knocked back as he entered. Riku let out a yelp as he crashed into Iori’s chest from the impact. However, it turns out that it wasn’t an object he had run into, it was a person. 

“Riku?” Tenn exclaimed in shock after the collison. He had not expected to run into his brother at the house. 

Riku quickly recovered and looked up to meet his brother’s worried gaze. “Tenn-nii?” Riku asked in between pants. He was really out of breath from running all the way from the school, but right now that didn’t matter. He was relieved to see his brother and wasted no time in closing the distance between them. 

Tenn reciprocated the embrace and wrapped his arms around Riku’s torso. For a minute, while the Sibuna members got a proper chance to catch their breaths, Riku and Tenn just stood there, taking in the other’s warmth. While they had talked over the phone and on camera, and even though they had seen each other from a distance, this was the first time in five years that the two brothers were close enough to touch one another. It was slightly overwhelming. 

Once he was sure that Riku’s breathing was calm enough, Tenn pushed him away slightly, though he still kept his hands resting on Riku’s shoulders. “Are you okay? I was so worried when you didn’t show up, and then you wouldn’t answer your phone, and they told me that Kujou-san did something, and-” Tenn started, frantically checking Riku for any possible injuries. 

Riku laughed then, interrupting Tenn’s questions. Tenn frowned, and when he noticed that, Riku stopped. “I’m sorry, but I’m really okay! He sort of… locked us inside of an empty classroom, but no one got hurt! I mean, except for maybe a bruise or two, but it’s all good.” Riku explained. 

Tenn frowned, he remembered how adamant Riku used to be when they were little, saying he was okay even though he clearly wasn’t. “Are you sure?” Tenn asked skeptically. Riku felt a sense of nostalgia at his brother’s skepticism, he was also reminded of the past. “Yes.” He said, giving Tenn a fond smile. 

“More importantly.” Riku soon added, turning serious. “What happened? Did they make you assemble the cup? Where is Kujou?” He asked, once again focusing on the more serious business. Tenn smiled at that, looking utterly relieved. “It didn’t work.” He said. 

Behind Riku, Iori frowned in confusion. “What do you mean it didn't work?” He asked. “I tried to do it, but I couldn’t! Turns out I’m probably not the Chosen One after all… Kujou-san got angry and ran off while Tsukumo just got sad and chased everyone else out.” Tenn explained. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Riku said. “So, you’re not the Chosen One?” He asked. Tenn nodded and smiled. “Honestly, it’s a relief. I never wanted to be the chosen one.” He answered. “How can you be wrong about something so important as who the Chosen One is?” Tamaki questioned and Tenn only shrugged. 

“Why did Kujou Takamasa even think you were the Chosen One in the first place?” Nagi then asked, looking curiously at Tenn. “Well…” Tenn started. “He said something about being a descendant of Amneris, apparently you have to be from her bloodline. Other than that, you apparently also have to be born on the seventh hour of the seventh day of the seventh month. Meaning the 7th of July.” He explained. 

“That’s our birthday.” Riku stated and Tenn nodded. “Then shouldn’t you both be Chosen Ones? Since you’re twins and were born at the same time and all…” Tamaki asked in confusion. Riku chuckled. “You know, twins aren’t born exactly at the same time, you can’t push out two babies simultaneously. One comes first, and then the other, generally there’s about 17 minutes in between, give or take a few.” He explained. 

“Then why did Kujou Takamasa believe it was you and not Nanase-san?” Iori turned to Tenn and asked. “Probably because I was born closer to seven. I was just two minutes away from the hour while Riku was born almost twenty minutes later.” Tenn answered with a shrug. 

Iori frowned. “So, you were born at 7:02 in the morning?” He asked. Tenn shook his head though. “No, at 6:58.” He explained. Hearing that, Iori’s eyes widened. “But that’s not the seventh hour. It’s closer to seven, yes, but the seventh hour is anytime between seven and eight o’clock! You were born in the sixth hour!” He exclaimed. 

“Which means that I don’t meet all the requirements…” Tenn said, finally understanding what Iori was getting at. Iori nodded in response. “But then, that means…” Tenn continued, a concerned frown now on his face. “That if Nanase-san was born twenty minutes later, then he is the one born in the seventh hour, which should mean that he meets all of the requirements.” Iori finished. 

Everyone turned to stare at Riku, who mostly just looked a bit troubled. “You don’t seem that surprised…” Sougo pointed out after a minute of silence. Riku looked a bit guilty as he turned his gaze to the floor. “That’s because you already had a suspicion that was the case, but have been in denial about it, right?” Iori asked calmly. 

Riku reluctantly nodded. Iori sighed before reaching out and taking ahold of Riku’s hand, squeezing it in reassurance. “You knew as well, Iorin?” Tamaki then asked. Iori shrugged. “I didn’t know for sure, but the thought had crossed my mind. It would just make the most sense. Nanase-san is the one who can use the locket, he’s the one who had those strange dreams, who came up with most of the answers. He’s always had an affinity for anything that had to do with the search.” Iori said matter-of-factly. 

“And it would explain why Sara sought me out specifically when I first got here. And her telling me only I could find and protect the cup.” Riku added. “There’s one more thing.” Iori said, gaining everyone’s attention. “Wasn’t Sara also a Chosen One? And wasn’t it shortly after she died that you really started to experience these strange things? These instincts that practically told you where to look?” He asked. 

Riku’s eyes widened. “You think Sara had to die in order for me to be able to unlock these… powers?” He asked in shock. Iori shook his head. “Not exactly… I mean, you could use the locket even before that, and you had those strange dreams as well… But these… powers, or whatever they are, got stronger once she died. As if you got her strength as well.” He explained. 

Riku nodded, albeit a bit sadly. “Wait, but if Rikkun is the Chosen One…” Tamaki started. “Doesn’t that mean that he can assemble the cup?” He then asked. They all tensed up at that, as if that realization just not hit them “Supposedly.” Iori answered. “What’s the time? And where are the relics?” Nagi asked. “It’s 10:42 right now, and the relics should still be in the cellar.” Tenn answered. 

Iori turned to Riku then with a concerned expression on his face. “What do you want to do? There’s still time to try and put it together if you want to do that, or we could leave it in pieces, that way no one can use it.” He said. 

Riku closed his eyes and thought, what did he want to do? It was true that no one could use the cup as long as it was in pieces, so shouldn’t that be the better option? But Sara had wanted him to find the cup before the time ran out, she wanted him to put it back together. Then, as if on cue, Riku thought he heard her voice. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. Put it together. Save us.” 

Riku opened his eyes and nodded before turning to Iori and giving him a smile. “I want to do it.” He said. Iori nodded and returned the smile. “Are you sure?” Tenn asked. Riku turned back to him and nodded again. “Yes, it’s what Sara would have wanted.” He said. “I don’t really get it, but if you’re sure you want to do it, then let’s go.” Tenn said and Riku smiled graciously. 

After that, all of Sibuna, along with Tenn, made their way into the cellar. Most things had been left as they were when Tenn left before, the only thing missing now were the robes, which probably weren’t that important. When they first got there, Iori walked over and picked up a small glass bottle from the table, holding it up to show everyone. “I bet this is the actual elixir.” He said. 

“Do you think that’s really it?” Nagi asked seriously and Iori nodded. “So, if someone drinks that from the Cup of Ankh, they’ll become immortal?” Sougo asked. “Supposedly, that’s what the legend says at least.” Iori answered. “And clearly, some people are willing to believe it.” Nagi then pointed out, clearly talking about Tsukumo and the others. 

Riku frowned and continued to look around the cellar, which now looked slightly different than it did usually. It really reminded him of some sort of cult, which he supposed was pretty accurate. As he reached the table, Riku noted the seven scales that were placed there with the coins on them. 

“Hey, those are the coins I saw in Tsukumo’s desk before! When I took back the relics from his safe.” Riku exclaimed. Tenn joined him at the table. “Before, when I was doing the ritual, Tsukumo was saying something while gesturing to them. ‘The scales of life shall be tipped, and strength and life shall flow into them from seven young acolytes, and thus death is conquered.’ Or something like that…” He explained. 

Riku’s expression warped from one of curiosity to one of shock. “Wait, those are the scales of life?” He asked. Tenn looked a bit startled, but he nodded nonetheless. “I suppose? That’s what Tsukumo called them anyways…” He said. 

“Look, our names are all on one side of the scales! Opposite the names of our teachers? Or the ones who were part of whatever this was, I assume.” Nagi observed, pointing to the weights on each side of the scales. “I wonder what the flow of strength and life means… It sounds pretty ominous.” Iori said. 

“I thought so too.” Tenn said. “But when I asked about it, Tsukumo told me it was all symbolic.” He said. “Let’s maybe not think too hard about that, time is running out and I still have to figure out how to assemble this thing…” Riku added, directing the attention of everyone away from the scales and the coins. 

“Right, let’s do this.” Iori said. Riku stepped up so that he was stood right in front of the table with the relics, while the others all took a step back to give him some space, Iori and Tenn were a bit more reluctant to do that than the rest though… 

“You have to say the incantation as you put it together. With this circle of light, I seal the circle of life. That’s what they told me.” Tenn told Riku, who nodded in appreciation before turning back to the relics. He took a deep breath to try and settle his nerves, and then he started. 

Riku was taking the relics apart and then putting them back together. It was like a puzzle, a puzzle that somehow was a lot easier than it seemed. “With this circle of light, I seal the circle of life.” Riku said softly, and then it was almost as if an invisible hand was guiding him as he assembled the cup. He was so concentrated on the task itself that he really didn’t have time to be in awe of what he was actually doing, but it was quite magnificent. 

In just a matter of minutes, Riku had assembled what looked like a cup to him, wearing a proud smile at his creation. However, the pieces were still loose, and he wasn’t quite sure how to make them stick together. At least not until he saw that his locket had started to glow. Riku let go of the cup with one hand, using the other to hold it together. He then took ahold of the locket and brought it up to the cup. 

A bright red light emanated from the locket, and it soon encased the cup as well. Riku looked on in wonder as something quite magical reattached the pieces of the Cup of Ankh to one another. 

Soon, the light started to dim, and then it was completely gone. Before him was the Cup of Ankh, in all its former glory. Riku reached out and grabbed it, his mouth hanging open in awe. This was what Sara had asked him to find and protect all those months ago, and he had done it, he had really managed to find it and put it back together. 

Riku spun around, a big smile on his face as he showed off what he had done to the others. “You did it.” Tenn said, amazed at what he had just witnessed. “Rikkun, that’s amazing!” Tamaki exclaimed while Nagi and Sougo nodded, happy and impressed expressions on their faces. “I knew you could do it.” Iori said, smiling in adoration at Riku, who started blushing but still returned the smile. 

“Now we just have to figure out how to keep it safe. We can’t let anyone-” Riku started but then he suddenly stopped as he spotted something that made blood run cold and his eyes go wide in shock and slight fear. Everyone else became concerned and turned around to see what had shocked him so much. 

Much to their dismay, someone had now joined them in the cellar, and it wasn’t just anyone, it was Kujou Takamasa, a crazed look in his eyes. “Of course… I wasn’t entirely wrong, I just had the wrong twin.” He muttered to himself. Riku gulped having a bad feeling about this. Kujou reached out his hand towards Riku with an expectant look on his face. “Give it to me! Give me the Cup of Ankh!” He said. 

Riku brought the cup up to his chest and took a step back. “Never.” He said, managing to sound surprisingly determined, even though he was very frightened. Kujou frowned, but he didn’t let Riku’s answer stop him, he probably hadn’t expected anything different. And so, the older man quickly stepped further into the room and grabbed ahold of the closest person to him, which just so happened to be Iori. 

“Iori! No!” Riku yelled. Kujou grinned as he pulled something out of his back pocket. Iori’s face visibly paled as he saw Kujou bring the small knife closer to his face while he tried to struggle to get free of the older man's grip. “Let’s try again, shall we? Now, give me the cup, or I’ll hurt your friend over here.” Kujou said, lightly pressing the knife to Iori’s cheek, though not hard enough to draw blood. 

“Stop! Please!” Riku yelled, taking a step towards him, but then stopped as he saw Iori flinch as Kujou tightened his grip. “Place the cup on the floor, and take five big steps back, all of you. Then I’ll let your friend go.” Kujou said, smiling manically all the while. Riku looked at Iori, who shook his head, telling Riku not to do it. But Riku couldn’t live with himself if something happened to Iori because of this, he was the one who had dragged him into this in the first place. 

Riku shook his head and tears started to run down his cheeks. “I’m sorry.” He said before putting down the cup on the floor in front of him before backing away from it, motioning for Tenn, Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo to do the same. 

Kujou grinned, withdrew his knife and pushed Iori forward harshly before walking over to the cup. Riku and Tamaki caught Iori together and Riku wasted no time in bringing the other boy in for a hug, crying into his shoulder while apologizing time and time again. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Iori tried to reassure him. 

Meanwhile, Kujou had picked up the Cup of Ankh and was admiring it, letting out a low chuckle all the while. “What’s going on down here?” Someone soon called out from upstairs, making them all turn towards the stairs. Riku pulled his head away from Iori’s shoulder, he recognized that voice, and he was sure the rest of them did too. It was Tsukumo Ryou. 

Sure enough, soon Tsukumo had also joined them in the cellar, staring wide-eyed at Kujou where he stood holding up the cup triumphantly. “How?” He asked in disbelief. “It doesn’t matter anymore." Kujou said with a smirk. “Eternal life is mine, and I won’t share it with anyone!” He exclaimed. 

Tsukumo looked taken aback at that. “But… You said…” He said, trying to progress the situation. “I said a lot of things, that doesn’t mean I meant every word of it. Do you really think I’d share immortality with you? You’ve been a pain in my ass ever since we were children! I can’t wait for you to be gone already! Your father was right, you’re nothing but a pathetic coward.” Kujou said, sounding cruel and condescending. 

Riku found himself actually feeling a bit bad for Tsukumo. Although, he didn’t have much of a chance to think about this fact as he felt his chest tighten in panic. They’d worked so hard, and now Kujou was going to ruin everything. Riku could feel breathing becoming harder as he kept watching Kujou tearing apart everything they had done. 

“Now then, if you excuse me.” Kujou said, turning around to the table and grabbing the small glass bottle that was stood there. Tsukumo let out a sound that almost sounded like a sob as he saw Kujou pouring the liquid into the cup before raising it, looking at all of them contentedly. “Bottoms up.” He said, then he put the cup to his lips, and in one big gulp, he downed the entire thing. 

Everyone stared on in dread as he did this. “No…” Tsukumo exclaimed as Kujou only started laughing before turning to look at Riku. “How are you feeling boy?” He then asked, smirking. “What do you mean? Why are you asking how Riku is feeling?” Tenn asked suspiciously. Kujou only kept smirking and pointed at the scales on the table. They could all see that on the same scale that held the coin that read ‘Takamasa’, the other side held one that read ‘Riku’. 

“Because,” Kujou started. “The tipping of the scales isn’t symbolic. In order to gain a life of immortality, another life must end. It’s not figurative, it’s the literal flow of life force from one person to another.” He explained. “No… That can’t be! Nobody was supposed to get hurt!” Tsukumo exclaimed, finally taking action and walking up to Kujou, grabbing ahold of his throat. 

“Of course that’s what I told you! You're such a sissy! You never would have helped me out if you knew the ritual included murdering seven kids!” Kujou yelled back. Tsukumo, who was weakened by the emotional rollercoaster he had gone through that night, easily allowed himself to be pushed off. 

It was at that moment that Riku collapsed onto the floor, fighting for breath. “Riku!” Tenn called out, followed by similar exclamations by the other students. Tsukumo, who despite everything didn’t want the death of one of his students on his hands, also rushed over, kneeling next to Riku. “Nanase, come on, look at me. Breath.” He told the struggling redhead. 

“Well, I guess I won’t need this anymore.” Kujou said, looking at the cup in his hands. Then, in order to assure that no one else could have what he had, he opened the hatch to the incinerator that Tsukumo kept in the cellar and threw it in. Nagi noticed and called out. “No! What are you doing?!” He yelled. 

Kujou only smirked, waved them goodbye, and then promptly left the room. “Goodbye! Oh, and Tenn? You’re free to do whatever you want, I intend to disown you as my child as soon as I can.” He said, then he really left the house, once and for all. 

Tenn growled and cursed Kujou Takamasa’s entire existence, though he didn’t get to dwell on it for very long, instead he turned back to Riku. “Riku, come on! Pull it together!” He said, holding his brother’s hand. “You guys.” Iori called out, but no one was paying attention to him, instead focusing on Riku, who was all but passed out on the floor. 

“Listen to me!” Iori soon yelled, finally making them all turn to him. “What?!” Tenn growled angrily, wanting to only focus on Riku right now. “He’s not dying!” Iori only exclaimed. “What?” Tenn, Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo asked in unison. “I don’t know what happened, but Nanase-san isn’t dying. Kujou Takamasa never drank the elixir!” Iori explained. 

On the ground, Riku started coughing before he reached up and grabbed ahold of Iori’s sleeve, opening his eyes to peer up at him, looking for support. “Ah… A-tta-ahck…” He wheezed out between ragged breaths. Iori nodded. “He’s having an attack.” He said. Nagi, who knew exactly where Riku kept his inhalers, quickly stood up and rushed up the stairs, returning a minute later with the small contraption in hand. 

Riku took it graciously, and once he had used it he finally started to calm down, his breathing was slowly but surely returning to normal. It was only once he was calm again that they all relaxed, seeing as he seemed fine. “What just happened? Iorin, what do you mean he didn’t drink the elixir? We all saw him do it.” Tamaki asked, sounding very confused. 

“No, you saw him drink a liquid from the Cup of Ankh, but it wasn’t the elixir. When we first got down here, remember how I noticed the elixir on the table? Well, I took it and poured it away. Something like that is too dangerous to keep around. I found another bottle that looked really similar to it and put it on the table, just to be safe. I guess in his hurry, Kujou didn’t notice the difference.” Iori explained. 

Riku, who had now recovered and was nearly back to normal, held out a hand for Iori, asking for help up, which Iori complied to. Once he was on his feet, Riku immediately threw his hands around Iori’s neck. “Thank you. You are amazing, Izumi Iori.” He said. 

Iori returned the hug, taking in every second of it. That is, until Tamaki and Nagi decided it would be a great idea to turn it into a group hug, and so they dragged both Tenn and Sougo with them as they enveloped both Iori and Riku in the biggest hug imaginable. 

Meanwhile, Tsukumo was still taking in what Iori had just told them. “You… Threw it out? That was all I had left, now there’s nothing…” He whispered, but it seemed as if the others didn’t hear him. With a sigh, Tsukumo stood up and slowly made his way out of the cellar. He may have given up the idea of true immortality, he was willing to do a lot, but he wouldn’t kill to gain it, that would truly make him the same as his father. However, figuring out the elixir had felt like his sole purpose, and now that was gone too. 

It wasn’t long until Riku and the others also left the cellar, seeing as there wasn’t really anything left for them in there. Once they were up in the entranceway, Tamaki let out a big sigh. “Well, what happens now?” He asked. No one really had an answer, but Iori took it upon himself to provide one anyway. “Well, the cup is gone, so I guess that means our search is over. At least no one can use it for evil again.” He said. 

The others nodded in agreement, and then Nagi started smirking. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but there’s a party still going on at the school that I am dying to go to! I think we could all use some fun after what just happened.” He suggested. Tamaki and Sougo smiled and quickly agreed. Tenn, surprisingly, agreed too. “Gaku and Ryuu are there, right? I’d like to talk to them…” He said. 

Iori turned to Riku in concern. “How about you? You just had that attack, so maybe you would prefer to stay here and rest?” He suggested. However, Riku only smiled and shook his head. “Actually, the party sounds really nice right now. Besides, I don’t think I could fall asleep right now anyway, too much adrenaline.” He answered sheepishly. 

Iori smiled and nodded, holding out his hand for Riku. “Still interested in that date we never really finished?” He asked, sounding a bit coy. Riku’s face broke out in a bright grin as he nodded. “I would love that!” He said happily. In the back, Iori noted Tenn scowling in confusion and dismay, and he then wondered if Tenn was going to be a hurdle if he were to start dating Riku for real. 

However, that was a worry for another day as they all started leaving the house. However, Riku stopped in his tracks at the threshold of the house, a voice speaking to him inside his head. “It’s not over. The cup, get the cup.” Riku recognized the voice as Sara’s immediately and turned back to the cellar. “It’s not over…” He whispered. 

“Nanase-san?” Iori asked in concern, seeing as he had just suddenly stopped. It didn’t seem like he had heard him. Riku felt like whatever happened next, this was something that was only intended for him to see. And so, he gave Iori and the others as big of a smile as he could muster before letting go of Iori’s hand. “There’s one more thing I have to do. But you can go ahead, I’ll meet you at the party.” He said. 

Iori frowned, clearly not liking the idea of him going anywhere alone. He was just about to argue when Nagi grabbed ahold of his arm and started pulling him away. “You heard him, he’ll meet you there!” He said, winking at Riku as a way of saying he would take care of it. Riku gave his roommate an appreciative smile in return before he walked back into the house and closed the door, effectively separating himself from his friends. 

Riku slowly made his way back into the cellar, and he could swear he heard voices coming from the direction of the incinerator, though he couldn’t make any of them out. Carefully, he opened the hatch, only to see that the fire of the incinerator was parting, and not a single flamed seemed to have touched the cup. 

Riku reached in and grabbed it, surprised to find the metal surface cold to the touch. He took a minute to just admire the Cup of Ankh, it truly was beautiful. He then felt a presence behind him and turned around, only to see Sara standing there with two middle aged people that Riku recognized as Mr. and Ms. Watanabe. They were all glowing in a soft blue light, just as Sara had done in his dreams, which made him think that maybe it had actually been her spirit that had sought him out that way. 

“Thank you.” Sara said, looking more genuinely happy than Riku had ever seen her. “The curse put upon my family has been broken with the restoration of the cup. We can finally rest in peace, and it’s all thanks to you. I knew you could do it.” She said, which made Riku smile in relief, he was truly happy that he had managed to help Sara and her parents find rest. 

“We must leave now, but before that, there is one more thing I must ask of you.” Sara then said, gaining Riku’s full attention. “What is it?” He asked. Sara reached out a hand, lightly grazing the cup with her pointer finger. “Hide the cup, keep it safe, protect it.” She told him. Riku understood that him being the Chosen One meant that this truly was a task for him, and so he nodded. “I will, I promise.” He said. 

Sara smiled and nodded. “Farewell, Riku.” She then said, and just as she finished, she and her parents started to fade away, until no trace of them remained in the mortal world. Riku sighed, a single tear running down his cheek. He was truly happy for Sara and her parents, seeing as they had finally been able to find peace after so long, but he was also a bit sad to see her go, for real this time. 

Riku looked down at the cup in his hand. During the weekend, he and the rest of the Anubis House residents would leave the school and the house for the winter break. Riku didn’t want to leave the cup in the house during that time, alone with Tsukumo. That was when he realized that the school would be completely empty during the break, so he could hide it there and then get it back once he returned. 

Having made his decision about what to do with the cup for now, Riku made his way upstairs, grabbed a bag to put it in before he started heading over to the school. He would hide the cup quickly, then join Iori and the rest at the party. 

Iori was standing in the back of the lounge, where the party was in full swing. Mitsuki and Yamato had noticed them immediately upon their return, asking questions about where they had gone and what they had done. Nagi, Tamaki and Sougo had promptly pulled them away and Iori trusted at least Nagi and Sougo to come up with a believable excuse. 

Which had left him alone with Tenn, which was tense to say the least. In fact, just a minute later, Tenn sighed and announced that he was leaving to find Ryuu and Gaku. Iori nodded, and that was when he took his place near the back of the room, keeping an eye on the entrance. 

Iori was fidgeting in nervousness, he didn’t like that Riku was out there alone. He had just had an attack, and he seemed a little bit weird just before the separated. Iori wasn’t sure what he had needed to do, but it concerned him, even though he wasn’t sure why. He supposed he had just grown used to doing almost everything together. 

However, Iori was soon able to relax as he spotted a familiar redhead enter the room. “Nanase-san!” He called out and waved him over. Riku, who noticed Iori immediately, smiled back at him and started walking over. “Hey! Sorry for leaving like that, but I’m back now! And before you ask, I’m perfectly fine.” Riku said as he reached Iori. 

Iori frowned. “What were you doing anyway?” He asked. Riku smiled, but then shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it later, there’s something else I need to tell you right now.” He said. Iori raised an eyebrow in confusion, but nodded, feeling satisfied that he would at least get his answers sooner or later. 

Riku took a deep breath and then looked up at Iori. “You know, I’m really grateful to you.” He said. Iori furrowed his brows. “What brought this on?” He asked. 

Riku smiled. “I just wanted you to know. And it’s not just about the search, but everything else too. You talked to me when I first got here, you befriended me when I felt like I had no one. You’ve supported me through all of this, both the quest, schoolwork and everything else that happened, and I’m really just so happy and thankful for that.” He said. 

This time, Iori blushed, but he didn’t look away, instead he only kept his eyes trained on Riku’s own. “You don’t need to thank me for that, I did all of those things because I wanted to, because I like seeing you smile and be happy. But I am happy that you think that way.” Iori admitted, this time, he was the one making Riku blush, though it was only vaguely visible under all the flashing party lights. 

Riku gulped and took a step closer, not much space separated the two of them now. “Iori, I… I guess what I’m trying to say is… I mean, I really li-” Riku started, but Iori couldn’t hold himself back. He reached out and cupped Riku’s face in both his hands before leaning forward and pressing his own lips to Riku’s, effectively silencing him. 

Riku was so taken aback that he didn’t really have a chance to respond, and in just a few seconds, Iori pulled away. “Nanase-san…” He said, opening his eyes and coyly looking at Riku again. “I really like you. Will you please be my boyfriend?” He asked, not sure how else to proceed with it. 

Riku’s eyes widened in surprise and his face must have turned completely pink with how hot it felt at the moment. Still, Riku managed to pull himself together, smiled softly up at Iori and nodded before letting out a lighthearted giggle. “Yes. Yes, I would love that very much. I really like you too, Iori.” He said, reaching up and wrapping his own arms around Iori’s shoulder, thus pulling him even closer than before. 

Iori smiled, he felt over the moon! Part of him couldn’t believe that Riku had agreed, but mostly he was just happy. He removed his hands from Riku’s face and instead wrapped them around the other boy’s waist, helping Riku to get as close as possible. He then leaned his forehead against Riku’s and looked him deep in the eyes. “Can I kiss you again?” He asked tentatively. 

Riku smiled up at him and threaded his fingers through Iori’s black hair. “Yes, I’d like that a lot.” He said. And so, that’s what Iori did. Riku and Iori vaguely registered someone whooping and clapping in the background, most likely one of their friends, Nagi or Tamaki perhaps, but they were happy to ignore it. 

Riku though that nothing had ever felt so right as to kiss Iori, and Iori thought the same about kissing Riku. They had been there for each other throughout everything that this crazy term had thrown at them, and they were sure that as long as they had each other, they could take on anything that was thrown at them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To start things off, for anyone that is interested, here is a picture of what the Cup of Ankh looks like once it's all put together: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/f6/21/0df621c931eeb076ddfa5f589d96a9b9.png  
> And with that out of the way, I'd like to start off by just thanking all of you that are reading this. Thank you for hanging around and reading this fanfic of mine! Thank you to everyone wholeft kudos, comments and bookmarks on this work, it really does motivate me more than anything else, and I can't even beginn to express how grateful I am for all the support! This story has actually been in my mind for quite a while before I even started writing it, I had considered to do it before, but I never did until now. And wow, it ended up being a lot longer than I expected it to be, 180k words! That's crazy! But I'm so gad I wrote it, and I'm pleased with how it turned out in the end! IDOLiSH7 is my favourite series right now, and combining it with what was my favourite show since I was just a child has been so much fun!  
> Now, you may have a few questions regarding the story, such as what will happen with the cup now? And what about Tenn, will he come back to his family and start the school again? How will things progress now that Iori and Riku are finally (180k words later) a couple? What about Tsukumo? How will he act now that he has lost everything he worked for for so long? Basically, what I'm trying to say is that there is more to this story than what I've posted so far. This fanfic only covers the events from the first season of House of Anubis.  
> So, what wil happen next? And when? Well, I do plan to write a sequel to this, which would then cover the events of the second season of HoA (in fact, I was more excited about s2 than s1 as it is my favourite season) but I don't know yet when that will happen exactly. My guess, however, is that I'll probably start posting during the summer, maybe sometime in June? I'm currently working on a big essay in my university, and I can promise you that I will not have time to start writing any new fanfics until that is done (and the essay is due at the end of May). However, I hope to be able to finish it soon and then get back to writing once that's done! I also prefer to have a few chapters pre-written, so I'll probably make sure to have the first 10-ish chapters done before I start posting to make sure I'll be able to give you updates regularly once I do start to post. So, a second installment to this story WILL come, but it might be a month or two before I can start uploading that, so I hope you'll wait for me! ^^  
> With that, I believe it's time to bring this to an end. Once again, thank you SO SO MUCH for reading this, and and EVEN BIGGER THANK YOU to all of you who have supported me throughout this, no matter how small a thing it was, I am so grateful to you! I hope you guys are staying safe and healthy and that you will join me again when I return with the second installment to this story!  
> Love you! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3


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